Strings and Knots
by TheAzureTyphoon
Summary: A few months after the events of the Night Howler case, Everything has gone relatively back to normal and everyone was intent on living out their lives. But like life, nothing is ever certain. That's especially true for Nick Wilde for he finds one little girl, alone and abandoned and she too will be the main driving force that will change his life, the same way Judy did.
1. Down the Lane

Strings and Knots

Chapter 1: Down the Lane

By the grace of the light that had shone throughout the city of Zootopia, morning had once again come to the land and greeted all of its inhabitants with warm rays. It didn't matter who it was, from the smallest rodent to the tallest mammal, it was all the same, no matter where. From the blazing harshness of Sahara Square to the bitter icy bite of Tundra Town and even the humid foliage covered Rainforest District, They all were greeted by the new day, and with a new day came new opportunities to seize. Even for a certain fox. Feeling the light shine through the blinds of his bedroom window, Nick's sleeping eyes twitched as he felt the welcoming morning rouse him from his dwindling slumber guiding his consciousness back to the waking world. Out of habit, he squinted his closed eyes while an arm popped from the cozy and embracing covers and shielded the light. Growling a bit as he could feel the sandman's hold on him now gone, he picked himself up from the bed he and sat upright as a loud and long yawn left his muzzle. It didn't take long to get a bearing on his surrounding which was his own room, he turned his attention to the window that led out towards the city. He could see that it was now morning, hench the light of the sun shining into his room as well as the hustle and bustle of the city, ranging from a variety of mammals going about their businesses. Letting out a single breath, Nick fell back down onto the bed, his head landing on the pillow as he flopped an arm from his chest to over the eyes.

"And so begins a new day," Letting out a yawn, he pulled his arm away and gazed up at the plain white colored ceiling, shaking his head. Not really seeing a reason to stay in bed any longer, "What is in store for me today." he propped himself back onto his feet and did his usual morning stretches to get the blood flowing, shaking off any remaining sleeping sand that lingered in his eyes for two reasons.

One: He looked over to his alarm clock to see that the time read 8:15. Judy; his partner, best friend and girlfriend on the force for the ZPD, would be at his apartment in the next twenty minutes.

And two: He was on Duty today, so he couldn't afford to be late, plus he really didn't want to be curtailed by her look whenever he did something that either upset her or reflected poorly on them.

"Oh well, no thinking about it now. Be best to just go about my day." Reaching over to the alarm, he tapped the button, turning it off, marking off one thing on his list that morning. Starting off the day right, he'd go with a shower to further pry him awake. Walking out of the room while taking hold of a towel nearby, he made his way to the bathroom, somewhat sluggish but effectively.

Bouncing down the hall of the apartment complex and past the other rooms towards her destination, Judy Hopps was her usual giddy self this Wednesday morning as she made her way towards Nick's place. She had to admit, ever since he agree to be a cop and her partner in justice, the both of them had really come a long way in their profession, especially him. In just the short span of several months that had gone by, he made a pretty big transition from that dingy moldy basement of Wilde Times in southern slums of Zootopia to the more upright and safer part of the city, much to her relief. It was always a trial to visit him back when he was in the slums, fearing that she would be attacked jumped by various undesirable animals that lived there. Even though she had official training for what to do when in said situation, that primal fear which resided in the back of her mind was always present. Still, the fact that she helped him move to this new apartment was a much better for the both of them.

"306… 307... 308… 309! Perfect. I made it and with," she looked at her wristwatch seeing the time and it read: 8:25. "Five minutes to spare!" Reaching into her pocket, Judy pulled out a spare key to Nick's apartment that he had given her when he moved in as it was his way of saying both thank you and that she was free to come over anytime she wished. Knowing her partner all too well, he was most likely still sleeping this very moment. It was a good thing that she came over to wake him up, after nearly catching the heel from their Captain for being late, she made sure to not let him oversleep again. Placing the key into the slot with a slight turn of the wrist, she did a little hop and managed to open the door inwards, stepping into his complex while closing the door behind her. "Niiiick! Wake up Nick! We're on the clock today! Let's go!" She called out to him.

Now that she was in the apartment, she looked around to see that the interior of his room was surprisingly clean as it had been for the last couple of days. Normally, she would find his clothes strewn about the floor in a haphazard mess when she stepped into his den, nearly tripping a few times in the past, thankfully it wasn't his uniform that was tossed about. If it was, she would've really chewed him out. From where she stood, his flat was pretty impressive, no matter how many times she came here. It wasn't super fancy like the kinds that you see in movies with expensive things everywhere you looked. It was a simple four-roomed flat, with a standard looking couch with a few scratches here and there but otherwise, it was still in decent condition. Following up, she could see that he managed to get a flat screen in here as it stood on the stand by the far wall away from the couch. She could even see her personal collection of DvDs still here, properly stacked right next to Nick's. Overall, it was a decent room where they would spend their downtime with either some boring television, binge watch movies back to back or, and this thought made her blush lightly, just cuddle after a long day on the job. Shaking away her blush, she let out a faint huff as she looked into the kitchen, clearly seeing that not even his coffee pot was running, let alone that the coffee grinds hadn't been touched from yesterday. Just from that, her answer was confirmed or it would have been, were it not for her exceptional hearing.

Judy could hear the shower running in the back and was shocked that she was wrong this time, much to her surprise. "Looks like he's awake after all. Huh, who'd of thought that Nicholas Wilde, out of all other animals, would be up early for work." She chuckled to herself while walking further into his place and right towards the kitchen, deciding to batch up a fresh brew for the both of them. They were heading in for roll call within the next hour, so a little reward was in order.

Switching off the rushing water with a few quick turns of the knob, a completely drenched Nick stepped out of the shower and into the tile clad bathroom, fully clean after a good scrubbing and soaking for the last twenty minutes. Doing what he did every time he got out of the shower, he shook the remaining water out of his fur only have it fluff out a bit but he was used to it, every canine did when they came in contact with water. With that little part of his routine out of the way, he stepped over to the sink and was met with a healthy expression while examining his face. Ranging from his eyes down to the base of his neck, it was a fairly quick, taking no time at all. Reaching over and taking both toothbrush and paste in hands, Nick squeezed out the contents onto the bristles and took to his canines after he receded his lips. Going about how he usually brushed, he was done within a matter of minutes, good thing too. The sooner, the better plus it would give him a chance to catch a bit of the news before he and Judy head out. With everything back in their proper place, Nick took hold of the towel that was resting on the sink and tightly wrapped it around his waist, snuggly tightening it to avoid a malfunction. Stepping out of the bathroom with a flick of the light switch, the fox made his way out and towards the den where his friend was waiting for him.

Once out, the first thing to greet him was the aroma of freshly brewing coffee, complemented by the sound of bubbling nearby, and Judy. She had her back to him, but he could hear the tapping of the screen. More than likely, she was on her phone that he had bought her last month for her birthday. Chuckling to himself, he called out from where he stood, wondering how she would react to a fox in nothing but a towel.

"As early as always, aren't you, Energizer? You keep this up and you'll surpass the White Rabbit's sense of punctuality."

"And you're no Honest John yourself." Was Judy's reply. With a twitch of her ear, she could hear him feign a gasp of hurt from her words that made her chuckle beneath her breath, out of her view, he placed a paw on his chest with a slight lean.

"Oh Judy, you wound me. Are you comparing me to that debauched roué of a fox? Tsk tsk tsk. I'll have you know that I pride myself in doing honest police work and nothing less."

"Haha, very funny. Good morning to you too, Nick. I'm surprised you're up this early. Normally, you'd still be in bed and it would fall to me to get you up, should your alarm fail. What's the occasion?" She asked.

"Shocking I know. Who'd thought I'd be up before you got here. Could be a sign of the apocalypse." Nick joked, chuckling a little at his own joke, which was met with a similar sound from the bunny.

"The apocalypse? I wouldn't go THAT far. I mean," She placed her phone down, turning to face him. "A small-scale riot, sure. That seems a little more manageable than a full-scale catastro - OH, you are naked!" The moment her eyes fell on his nude frame, her gray cheeks tinted and turned into a more pink hue, causing the bunny to turn back around to avoid seeing him. "Niiiick, you didn't tell me you were nude!" The fox had a smug smirk on his muzzle from the reaction, just the kind he was hoping for when her paw landed on her cheek.

"Really? With your superb sense of hearing, I'd of thought you would put two and two to together."

"I thought you were done and dressed by now!"

"Well you did show up earlier than usual and I was just about to do that, soooo… I guess that one falls on you. And to point, nude? Don't be silly, I'm wearing a towel. Totally counts as clothing."

"It doesn't and you know it, Nick."

"Aw, little bunny doesn't want to see how I'm coming along upstairs? Shame." He did a little flex while examining both his arms. "You'd think after all the Police work we do, would entice you. Ah well, what can a fox do?"

"Nick…"

"I mean, you'd think that making multiple stops by the Oasis Club for clues and leads, the constant exposure would get you past that and whatnot."

"Niiiick…!" Judy let out a groan out, drawing of his name, only to hear a light chuckle follow close behind.

"I guess it just wasn't working, huh? Even after all the times we've snuggled? Naked, mind you."

"Nick!"

"Okay, okay." He conceded, paws raising in a submitting manner even though she couldn't see it. "No more teasing the bunny about nakedness today, I promise. "

"Thank you. Now please go get dressed. The sooner we make it to the ZPD, the better it is for us." Judy replied, still refusing to look at the naked fox though her blush had long since disappeared.

"Don't gotta tell me twice. Be right back Cottontail." And with that, he turned tail and proceeded back into his room with the sound of the door closing behind him.

Judy let out a breath when the door in the back had closed, knowing that he had left and granted her some breathing room. As much as she didn't want to say it, seeing as how it would further bolster his ego and that was something she didn't want this early in the morning, she couldn't deny herself the truth that no matter how many times she saw him bare-chested, he looked good shirtless. Even though the glance was brief, he wasn't lying. It was true that, despite his wet fur being an obstruction, he did have a good amount of muscle on him that was very noticeable, but at the same time, he was nowhere near herculean, like the Tigers at the station for he still kept his lean and lithe figure with the right amount of body mass that was perfect for foxes, just the way she liked him. The way how his orange colored fur perfectly blended into his cream-colored underside, a limber and wiry chest that made it easy to get her arms around him and hold him close, especially when…! Her thoughts were beginning to shift to the more intimate part of their relationship, something that couldn't be allowed to continue, not now, aways. Feeling her cheeks start to heat up, Judy was quick to remedy that with a few slaps to push them away. It was too early for that kind of thinking when they had a full day ahead of them.

 **Time: 9:30**

 **Location: Zootopia Police Department**

The drive to the ZPD was a relatively hectic, to say the least. It was always the rush hour come Wednesdays, but it wasn't anything they couldn't handle. It pretty much gave them more time to talk with each other about various topics, ranging from past cases to ideal vacation spots, fancy restaurants, how Mr. Big and his daughter; Fru Fru were doing, even talk about spending some time with her family in the Bunny Burrows. Either way, the conversations were laced with jokes, light taunts and some hints of teasing here and there. Walking into their department, as always, it was crowded by various Police officers ranging from all kinds of species. Out of all of them, they were greeted by a familiar voice that immediately stopped eating and turned his attention their way the moment they were passed the door.

"Nick! Judy! Good Morning!" Called the cheetah, his paw waving their way and was greeted with the same optimism by the duo that walked up to his desk.

"Clawhauser, good morning to you too!" She replied, coming to a stop as he leaned over to see her from his station.

"Mornin' Spots, munching on a donut, as usual, I see," Nick replied, a side smirk appearing on his muzzle as he slid his paws into the pockets, giving off that laid-back attitude.

"You know it. They were having a two for one special today I simply could NOT pass up." Was his reply while taking another bite of the pastry.

"When it comes to sweets and deals, you never settle for second best, do ya?"

"Nope. I'll go for only the best. Speaking of which." Clawhauser reached from behind the countertop and pulled out a manilla folder containing a good amount of paperwork for her to do, but was considerably less than what she usually received . "Here you go. The reports for yesterday's fiasco need to be filled out and turned in by the end of the day."

Taking hold of the folder, the bunny tucked it under her arm as she did with every other stack of reports she got. "I remember the details clearly. Good thing us bunnies have such good memory."

"With how many of you there are over at the Burrow, good memory is a must have." That little joke earned him a playful elbow jab into his side. "Hey, just being honest." he chuckled from the minor assault while Judy merely rolled her eyes at that.

"Which is still quite the surprise coming from you.

"Oh, I'm full of surprises. Don't you worry about that." He winked down at her and a light giggle was his reward.

"I'll keep that in mind, Nick."

"Of course, you will. Bunnies have good memory after all.

"Oh my gosh." Another chuckle left her while looking off to the side, shaking her head amusingly at their little banter. It would've kept going, possibly to the points where cheeks were a tinted color were it not for a certain cheetah that lightly squealed at the scene before him.

"Honestly, I never get tired of listening to your banter. You two are so cute together." Benjamin commented, making Judy blush lightly whereas Nick only smirked, placing his paw on the bunny's shoulder which only made the blush deepen even more.

"Clawhauser, we talked about using the word "cute" when addressing me." Judy puffed her cheeks while looking off to the side, feeling the embarrassment from being called the C word.

"Hey, he's just stating an obvious fact. You are cute, unless, you don't want that to be true." Nick trailed off, waiting for her response. Normally, Judy didn't like being called cute by other animals, she found that insulting to her standing as an established officer of the Law and was quick to point that out. But when Nick said it, she couldn't help but feel all the more flattered when it came from him specifically. They had been best friends, partners and recently turned mates over the course of a few months, almost a year and if that was an indication of anything, she could let it slide, this time. Just when she was about to speak on that, Nick continued. "Stating the true and obvious aside, it was pretty bad yesterday, Spots."

"Oh, I heard. Maria, Thelma, Jasper and I were talking about it just a little while ago, such a disturbance they made. I'm glad the incident was called in when it was." Benjamin rested a paw on his round cheek and left of a dismal sigh. "Domestic cases are always so messy. Still, to think that the wife was the attacker."

"I'll say, I feel bad for the poor guy. No one deserves to be put through that. Man or Woman." Judy added.

"I'm just glad Elly was there when she was, otherwise, it coulda ended a LOT differently. The last thing I want to see is a bloodbath." That last comment made him shudder a bit at the very idea of seeing nothing but blood as the paint job on the walls of the room. There had been cases where both he and Judy had to deal with where blood was involved, but never to the extremes that he had heard from his fellows officers and frankly, he was glad that they didn't take those kinds of cases. Not only did he think he wouldn't be able to handle it, but it was something that he hoped Judy would never have to investigate. She was a tough little bunny, no denying that but there are just some things that she didn't need to see just yet, especially this early in her career. He knew that all too well. "Anyways. I think we've hung out here long enough. Any longer and we're gonna be late for roll call."

"Yeah, we managed to get in early. We should make the most of that." She took the lead while Nick followed close behind her, paws slipping into his pocket. "We'll see you later Benjamin."

"Later, Spots."

"Okay, take care guys!" He called out to them as they departed the main hall. Watching them gradually get smaller and smaller until they were out of view, leaving there at the front desk. Letting out another sigh, he plopped back into his chair and took hold of a pen that was nearby, tapping it onto a sheet in front him, jotting down a little memo. He only smiled at his little table that read: Wilde Hopps had various marks from other officers that had bet on them, including his own. He only chuckled while reaching over for the donut and continued eating it. "I wish those two would just confess already."

 **Time: 9:55**

 **Location: ZPD Conference Room**

"And that concludes the current situation for the two sectors of Zootopia. Lucky for us, Tundra Town isn't a Hotspot, this time, around, so activity is at the bare minimum. Moving on, we're getting reports from both Sahara Square and the Rainforest District that a recent surge activity of crime in those two areas, so says the ZSSPD and ZRDPD. we'll be dispatching forces from home base to assist in the maintenance and control. Normally this would be simple, but like life, nothing is ever certain. For the Sahara and Rainforest, we shall dispatch species perfectly attuned to said areas, starting with Sahara Square. For those who are partnered with said animals, you will switch to your heat-resistant B-4 uniform, can't have you passing out, now can we? You know the routine, you're call, get your file and head out." Placing his hoof on the name at the very top of the clipboard, he started there and worked his way down. "Alvarez and Samson, you're in charge of Oasis Central. The sooner you get this done, the more daylight you have to burn." Chief Bogo called out to the pair. The lion and the horse were the first to leave their seats and out of the conference room with their objective. "Matthews and Collins, you're on Nile Avenue." The clamor of chairs scraping against the floor of those that were called sounded throughout the room while the others waited their turn. Nick spectated as the pairs before them received assignments giving them a chance to talk amongst themselves.

"You think it has anything to do drug trafficking from last week?" Judy asked while going over the papers she had to fill out. Nick only sniffed at the question while watching other get called out.

"More than likely, Carrots. It was a pretty big bust over in the RD. We managed to stop its main source, but some of the contents got past us and made it past the Dividers, right into Sahara Square. But if I'm correct, they also managed to sneak it back into the Rainforest with the intent to recreate." Nick replied as he looked over the reports she had to do, seeing the contents and photos of yesterday's incident.

"Both the Rainforest District and Sahara Square, ideal areas for substance crafting. That would explain why Tundra Town has been relatively calm lately."

"Five points for you, Cottontail. Too cold in TT for making them. So that whittles it down to those two spots."

"I see." She closed the folder "From what the reports said, the substance found in the drugs were particularly dangerous. Even though it was just the powder by itself, it still acted as a pseudo catalyst that gave off the same effects as the Night Howlers did, but in more concentrated form." Nick arched an eyebrow at the explanation he was given. It wasn't uncommon for them to handle some drug cases when other officers were occupied, but when a substance is based on something so lethal, it surprised him a bit but he kept his composure.

"Basically a copycat substance, impressive." He pieced together.

"That's right but there was more in the report. To think that they'd go so far as to mix it with Sativa and in multiple doses."

"So that it acts as both a High and a suppressant without the effects of driving them savage. Get the adrenaline going while knocking out the nervous activity? That's a pretty deadly combo." He sniffed at the very idea of combining two deadly substances together, internally shuddering.

"I know. But what drives an animal to do this?" Judy turned her attention towards Nick and all he could do was shrug at that. She knew this kind of thing existed, that's was one of the many things they had to learn for this profession, but it still ate at her that there were Animals that would go to such extent in creating something potentially harmful to all, including themselves. Before she was given an answer, Bogo's deep voice had cut in, halting the topic from going any further.

"There various reasons as to why such things are considered, Officer Hopps, but only two reasons stand out above all the rest. Some do it for profit, shipping them off to various parts of the world in order to continue and keep the product alive while others use it as a means to obtain power, pure and simple. But I digress, it won't do you any good to wonder why such things happen or the motive behind their actions.

"I'm well aware Captain. It's just… it's a shame when these things happen." Was Judy's reply to her Captain. All he could do was nod in agreement.

"That's why our job is to keep the public safe as best we can. Now then," he looked down towards his clipboard. "Normally I'd have you and Wilde out in search of possible cartels or suppliers like others, but seeing as how this is a two animal job and you're currently on desk duty with reports, I'm left with no other choice." Bogo turned towards the fox, wearing that casual laid-back look with a smirk that Nick was well known for around the station of the ZPD. "Officer Wilde, I'm placing you on solo Commercial District Patrol over at Downtown."

"Solo patrol? What, don't think I can handle a few guys twice my size?" Leaning forward, Nick could feel the smirk on his face grow larger, but Chief Bogo wasn't smiling, he merely did a slow head shake at the fox's cockiness.

"Officer Wilde, you know as well as I do, that is not the case. I have faith in your abilities, as you've shown in your training days, but we're dealing with something that is too big for one Animal to handle alone. Seeing as how this type of criminal brand acts, it would be foolhardy to send you out there alone. We don't need a repeat of last month." Nick's trademark grin immediately vanished and was replaced with a more shocked expression when the event of last month was mentioned.

"You mean Officer Martin?" Judy asked.

"A sad but prime example, Officer Hopps. But yes, Officer Martin. You remember the incident, don't you Officer Wilde?" Bogo questioned, waiting for a response from the fox.

"Oh yeah, I remember him and oh man," Nick exasperated at the memory of what went down, clearly something that he wish he could forget. "That was the definition of reckless. I didn't think someone's arm could bend that way, let alone in several places. Poor bastard."

"Albeit a grim way of putting it. Had Officer Martin simply follow orders and waited for backup on the Docks, he wouldn't have lost his arm to the machinery. Let his folly be a lesson to you, Wilde. We don't need to lose another good officer." Nick's ears sprang up when he heard a genuine compliment come from the buffalo's mouth, something that didn't happen very often, but rather than show how he was really feeling, the fox donned his traditional laidback mask. Chief Bogo could only internally shake his head at the mistake he made.

"Why Chief, I believe I detect a hint of acquiescence. Genuine praise perhaps?"

"You're free to believe whatever you wish, Wilde. I merely stated my opinion and gave where credit was due. You're welcome by the way." Placing his clipboard under his arm, he turned with the intent to walk away, but Nick wouldn't let him just yet.

"Aw c'mon Captain, that the best ya got? What's holding you back?" Judy could only sigh in mild annoyance when her partner didn't take what was given to him, intent on pushing further as he usually did. He turned back and a smirk of his own was present which surprised the both of them.

"If you desperately must know, the answer is obvious. It's standards." But Nick didn't back down from that.

"If that's the case, I'm glad I could meet those standards. Makes me almost want to try harder. Almost." Bogo internally chuckled at the reply he was given. Even though Nick managed to annoy him from time to time to point where he could feel his temple lightly throb, he found the fox's mannerisms and jabs amusing, to say the least. Bogo would never admit this but the fact that Nick, out of all the mammals on the entire squadron who were tougher and larger than him by a considerable amount, was the only one ballsy enough to throw wisecracks his way and not shy under his intense glare when other animals would or tried the same thing. It was because of that, a tiny form of unspoken respect was forged between them.

"Alright, that's enough chatter. Get out there Wilde, you're on the clock. Any longer, I may just dock your next pay." He could see the fake hurt on his face.

"Now that's just mean spirited, Chief." Placing a paw on his own chest for that dramatic effect, but Bogo knew better.

"Let that serve as a motivator then. But seriously, I'm considering it, now get moving Wilde, daylight is burning and so's your paycheck. Now go!"

Watching the buffalo leave the room, Nick could see that he wasn't going to get anything more out of him at this point, but he was content. He got what he wanted out of his Captain today and that was more than enough to tide him over until tomorrow where the process would repeat all over again. Still, the fact that his Captain had praised him was still buzzing in his head, making the fox internally beam. In spite of wanting to bask in the glow, Nick knew that when the Captain brought his paycheck and the word 'dock' into the same conversation, he was serious. Even though he and the Bogo joked with each other, Nick knew his place and his limits. Still the fact that he got his superior officer to praise him, that was a victory all in itself. Once the door closed, only the fox and bunny remained but too was going to change.

"Welp, you heard the buffalo. The streets need yours truly to keep them safe and I'm not one to disappoint. You know this after all." Nick winked Judy's way, making the doe roll her eyes in an amused manner, lightly elbowing him in the gut. "It's true, you can't deny that."

"Yeah, yeah Nick. I know all about our nocturnal escapades, no need to bring it up." She leaned over toward his muzzle, placing a light peck on the side. "Hung Fox."

"Just stating the obvious, Tight Bunny." With that counter, he grinned when he saw the light blush reappear on her face and he forced back a chuckle. Normally he would've kissed her back after saying that, but he was on the clock and couldn't afford to waste more time. "I'd take the time to relish your embrace. But you heard the captain, no time for that, sadly." Sliding off the chair and onto the floor, he proceeded towards the door that led out of the RC room. "See you at lunch break, Cottontail."

"The usual for lunch?" Judy leaned over to watch him depart the room but felt her eyes slowly but surely travel south landing at that one spot that made her bottom lip curve inward beneath her top jaw, a knowing smile left in its wake as she watched both him and gropable backside leave the area.

"You know it. If all goes well, there may not be anyone to chase down, which is a shame," He turned back to wink at her, deepening her blush. "Seeing as how you're here on desk duty and all. But, what can one do?"

"You tease." Judy chuckled.

"And don't you forget it. Alright, I'm off, catch you later, Carrots."

"Yeah, see you later." She watched him exit the room, leaving her alone. Looking towards the papers that needed to be done, the bunny had a job to do of her own, just like the fox. She took hold of the folder and did the same as Nick and head off towards her desk. With some speed and little bit of luck, Judy hoped that she would get this done early and possibly join him on his patrol within the next few hours.

 **Time: 1:40**

 **Location: Downtown Zootopia; 4589 SW 42nd Migration St.**

 **Area: Commercial District alleyway**

Letting out a rather loud and obvious yawn, a stationary and listless Nick was planted firmly in the seat of his police cruiser as he watched various animals, both large and small, make their way to various locations in the area. From what he could gather, Some were either going to a job, meeting up for a date, picking up groceries, whatever. The point was that it was a busy area on a busy day as usual. It had been a stodgy 4 hours since his departure from the ZPD to his current location and he had the luxury of simply sitting there, doing nothing but animal watching. Yes, he was keeping an eye out for activity in the public and running license plates from vehicles that passed by, it still change that one simple fact.

He. Was. BORED.

Granted, he had a way of keeping himself occupied, such as his phone, but it was low on battery and the last thing he wanted was for it to die on him, not when he was waiting for the call from his mate. It was at less than 10% and he was mentally kicking himself for forgetting to recharge it last night, so he had to use it sparingly. Slumping off to the side with his head falling onto his hand, he continued to keep watch, making sure things went accordingly but it didn't do anything to lessen the effect. It was patrols like these that made him wished Judy was with him. They could talk about various things while keeping a good double pair of eyes out, doing their best. And in the case of events where boredom becoming greater than their daily civic duty to the general public, for him at least, it was nothing the backseat and a little mid-day coitus couldn't fix. Then again, sex on the job was a pretty potent cure-all, He would've gone further into his thoughts about their previous escapades but the familiar ringtone sounded, letting him know who was calling. Pressing the talk button without even looking, Nick could only chuckle as he reclined even more in the driver's seat.

"I was wondering when you'd call me. Was getting kinda lonely on this side of town. It's unhealthy for foxes to be depressed, ya know." Nick couldn't resist starting with a joke, knowing that it would get a laugh out of her as it usually did.

"You foxes, so dramatic." The counter on her end made him chuckle inwardly.

"Sadly, yet surely. That is indeed our sin. One, I'm not willing to give up anytime soon. Anywho," He locked his eyes back out into the district. "Suffer any papercuts?"

"You don't need to worry, I assure you that my digits are 100% cut free. You can see, feel rather, for yourself later."

"As much as I rather have that now than sitting here alone, I'll be patient. That being said, how are the reports comin' along? Patrol here is pretty tame so far."

"It's going very well. At the rate this is going, I'll be done within the next 10 minutes."

"Just in time for lunch, which also works out for me as well. You're closest to The Ranch, right? Then you already know what I like. I'll pay you back."

"The Cricket chicken sandwich, peppercorn fries and a large bottle of water? Yeah, you pretty much get that every time we go out. Is that why you took the cruiser instead of the bike?" She shuffled the completed sheet into the folder along with all the others, moving on to the next that needed to be filled out.

"Of course. You can't have lunch on a bike, that's just ludicrous, and I'm not exactly eager to try either. Besides, since you're pretty much done with the reports, wanna patrol with me for the rest of the day? We can have fun animal watching together. If not, we can have our own bouts of fun in the back." The blunt and direct proposition was enough to make Judy blush but she didn't have to worry thanks to the confines of her cubicle.

"Even though that violates the rules of Patrolling?" Judy chided in a friendly manner.

"With ears like yours, I doubt we'll miss much."

"Well, aren't you just daring today." She replied, lightly chuckling at his proposal.

"I'm always daring when it comes to you, Buns." Nick could practically FEEL her blush on the other side of the phone, smirking just as wide. He did everything in his power to not laugh but was damn near tempted to.

"Points for flattery, Nick."

"What can I say, I'm a slave to the Rabbit Hole." A stifled gasp entered his ear and he knew he was winning her over with the idea.

"Officer Wilde, are you trying to foment me?" Judy tried to match his level play while keeping it relatively PG, seeing as how she was surrounded by her fellow co-workers. She tried to mask her tone in a 'shocked' manner, but she knew that Nick could see through it, he was the master of reading after all.

"Depends, is it working?"

"...Yes."

"Then yes."

"You and your smug responses."

"I think you mean Fantastic." His playful smugness never leaving his lips, to both of their amusement. They kept up the slightly sexualized banter for a fair bit of time, both of them stubbornly trying to outdo each other for personal points and bragging rights because that's just what they did and they loved each other for it. It would've kept going, were it not for the sudden scene of canine rushing by the cruiser in a rather hurried manner. From what he could see in the blur of things, the only defining detail that stood out to him was a tiny blue satchel that dangling from his clenched grip. Already, Nick knew that something wasn't right, thanks to a voice that called out to the dog. "STOP! STOP THIEF! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP!" The voice was feminine judging by the pitch that was nearby. Passing the alley where he was stationed, a mammal had slowed to a stop and hunched over, paws falling onto her knees from chasing the dog, clearly out of breath.

"Ixnay on the food, Judy! Gotta go!" He hung up and slid the phone back into his pocket. He was quick to hop out of the car and exit the alley just in time to attend her. From the corner of her eye, she looked to see him all dressed in his standard uniform, that was more than enough to revitalize her. "Ma'am, are you alright?" Nick knelt in front of her.

"Officer! Thank goodness! I was just robbed by the brute! He stole my bag!" She pointed in the direction he had gone, Nick following her direction before turning back to her.

"I understand. Did he harm you in any way, Ma'am?"

"I'm a little roughed up, but please! Get it back! That bag is very important to me!" She cried, placing her tiny paws clenching together as her watery eyes looking into his in a pleading manner that was begging for his help. All Nick did was smile her way, a firm nod followed right after.

"Worry not Ma'am, I'm on it." He stood upright and prepared to give chase. "You stay here in front of the car. I'll call for backup to help you." With those words, Nick took off in the same direction, his mind set on catching him, barely hearing her thank him as he got further and further away from her. Even though the dog was further away by a considerable amount of feet, Nick was still quick enough to keep him within sight. Remembering protocol, he took hold of his radio and issued out his position. "This is Officer Wilde to Dispatch! Do you read me?" In a matter of seconds, the call came through.

"Dispatcher to Wilde. What's your status?" Came the reply.

"I've got a Four-Eight-Four! On foot and in pursuit! Suspect has committed a Two-Four-Zero against a Stoat, gender: Female! Requesting aid for the victim at Downtown Zootopia; 4589 SW 42nd Migration St. The Commercial District!"

"Acknowledged, Officer Wilde. Sending aid to said location."

With that out of the way, Nick could now fully focus on catching the guy who robbed her. It was a good thing that he knew this part of the Zootopia like the back of his foxy paws. He continued to tail the canine throughout the area and wasn't the least bit tired, sprinting past the various buildings that towered over him easily, but he didn't care. All that mattered was catching and bringing him into the station.

The chase continued on down the street with various animals dodging out of the way, throwing various shouts and curses at the mammal, but it did little to slow him down only causing produce to have been knocked from the vendors he darted past. Ever agile, Nick easily darted, jumped and weaved through the mess, his eyes locked on him. "ZPD! Stop running!" Nick shouted. It caused the male to briskly eye the one chasing him. The mere mention of the cops only causing his need to escape much greater. Nick could see that the punk wasn't gonna comply. All he could do was give chase until the chance to catch him shown.

"Make this easy on yourself and give up!"

"Like hell, Old Man!" The voice was gruff and abrasive, not a hint of respect for the Law or his elders.

'Old man?' Nick smirked at the offhanded remark. 'Looks like we're doing this the hard way then.'

The chase had continued well away from where he was stationed and up a few blocks up to the point where he took a sharp turn that led into an alley. Just before entering, Nick pulled up towards the entrance and could hear that dog had stopped to catch his breath, which was both good and a shame. Part of him wanted to go a little longer with the chase, but he knew better, for he had a position to get back to. Not taking any chances, he pulled the tranq gun from his holster and backed himself against the wall, preparing to engage. With a couple of breaths to steady himself and digit on the trigger, Nick quickly rounded the corner, arms extended with his gun trained on the target.

"What's the matter, Rover? Nothin left to knock over?" As Nick expected, he flinched at the taunt and turned to see that a dart aimed was directly at him and snarled, growling could be heard in an attempt to look like a threat. But Nick wasn't fazed, the whole 'threatening' feature was nothing special for he had taken down opponents much bigger than himself that could easily knock him out. "Now with the running out of the way, make this easy on yourself and get on the ground. Place the bag down slowly and paws behind your head."

It was a bit of a stare down as Nick kept his eyes on the dog for anything suspicious. Behind him, he could see the exit of the alley and knew he was gonna try for it. The sudden drop of the bag and one back step was all the confirmation he needed.

"Don't run, don't run." Another backstep. "Don't make the situation worse, man." He tried to convince him, giving him one last chance to obey. But it was wasted, for the dog did an abrupt turn and hauled tail. Nick only sighed in annoyance as the canine try to escape. "Why do they always run?" He pulled the trigger on the tranq gun and faster than he could lower his arms, the dart zoomed through the air throughout the lane and towards the victim, lodging itself into the shoulder. The effects were immediate, for he didn't get more than 3 meters and already fell to the ground face first, the dart doing its job.

"Sorry, Fido," walking over to the downed dog and standing over his dosed body, Nick holstered his gun and pulled out a pawcuffs, customized for canine perps. Cuffing both his paws behind his back, the chase was over and he had his suspect captive, at least until backup arrived. "You shoulda listened and stayed." He pulled out his radio to report his situation. "Officer Wilde to Dispatch. Suspect has been captured. I repeat, suspect has been captured. Requesting transportation to Central Booking."

"Acknowledged, Officer Wilde. Sending an escort to your location."

"Thanks. Also, has help arrived for the Stoat?"

"Affirmative. She's being taken care this very moment."

"Perfect. Thanks again." Nick could see that the dog wasn't going anywhere, not until the dose wore off which was for the next couple of hours. Walking over to the where the bag was dropped, he leaned over to take hold of it, or, at least, he would've, were it not for a sudden timid and high pitched voice that came from the dead end of the area.

"I-is… is it safe?" Halting his actions, Nick looked down the lane to see that a tiny face had slowly poked out from behind the dumpster and locked eyes with him. From what he could gather, he was easily able to distinguish that it was fox, just like him. Starting with the ears, they were just like a normal fox, small and perfectly triangular like his, not disproportionately tall and wide, like Finnick's but rather the right size. Moving down, he could see that her face covered in patches of dirt and soot, like she had been in a dank and dirty basement, but it did little for her eyes, and that's what stood out the most to him. They were the perfect shade of dusty gold with a hint of orange on the outer rims of the iris, blending with the main color, very rare to see these days. Her pupils were perfectly thin, slit like a cat's, yet they were full of fear and full of worry. "C-can I come out n-now?"

Offering his best and warmest smile. Nick stood up and proceed to walk over to where the kit was. As expected, she darted back behind the dumpster, a small mewl of fright leaving her lips and whimpering could be heard. Stopping at the halfway, he got down on one knee and patiently held out a paw for her, letting the little girl be the one to approach him. "It's alright sweetie. The bad dog is sleeping. You can come out now." His words were warm and comforting, coaxing the kit out of hiding. Again, she popped her head out, but this time, bringing out her whole body as well. She brought her paws close to her chest and merely stood there while Nick continued to smile, lowering his paw back down to his side, seeing that her clothes were just as dirty as her face. "There you go. Can you tell me your name?" He asked, letting her go at a comfortable pace.

"O-Olivia…" her voice was shaky, but kept going regardless. "it's Olivia."

...

...

 ***TBC.***


	2. From the Ground looking up

Strings and Knots

Chapter 2: From the ground looking up

 **Nick** stood off on the corner that led into the alleyway where he had apprehended the thief. The dog was escorted out and over the shoulder by a polar bear, still dosed by the tranquilizer. Behind the bear, followed his partner, a dusty-colored wolf that was making small talk as they placed the canine into the back of the car. He could make out some words that were being said, but he wasn't really paying attention, not when other things were going through his mind currently. Something about a fox outwitting a dog or some pun that related to dogs? He didn't really care, he was just glad that it was done. Even though his job was done, Nick could feel a sigh depart from his lips as he watched the whole thing take place, still trying to understand why he would resist. He knew better than to think about why that happens, but it just bothered him to the point where he couldn't help himself. All he had to do was surrender, give himself up and that would've been it. Possibly save him from more paperwork than needed, but he still remembered what his captain said this morning.

Nothing is ever easy.

Not only that, but his mind began to wonder back to the little kit he had found. All he knew was her name, but that was it. He didn't bother asking for more information after learning her name, not wanting to overload her with questions that she probably wouldn't know how to answer, but her name was a good start. He could look her up back at the station for more information about her family and find out where she lived. Still, he couldn't help but wonder, why a kit so young as her was not in classes, like all other cubs. It wasn't the time for dismissal, so he already found that out of place to begin with.

"Alright Wilde," pulled from his thoughts, Nick looked over when his name was called, seeing the polar bear with one foot in their car. "We can take it from here. Thanks for calling us."

"Eh, no big deal. I figured you'd be bored seeing as how you guys were stuck at the station."

"We were indeed. Glad you could give us something to do to pass the time. Wish we got stationed at Tundra Town though.

"Speak for yourself, man!" They both looked towards the driver's seat. "You know how much I hate the cold!" The polar bear rolled his eyes at the minor complaint, not seeing the cold as an issue.

"Come on, Zach. How many times have we been stationed in TT? I thought you'd be used to it by now."

"Coming from a polar bear? That's not a compliment, Kaiser." The bear only rolled his eyes at the reply he was given. He turned his attention back to Nick, who only shrugged in response.

"See what I have to deal with on an almost daily basis?" a minor sigh leaving his lips.

"I clearly feel your pain." Nick playfully sneered, paws shifting into his pockets. "I thought wolves were built for the cold."

"Not this wolf," he thumbed back towards Zach, ignoring the glare he was most likely receiving. "That being said. We're gonna go place this guy in the hold. You going back to your post? You know how Chief Bogo dislikes deserters."

"I am, but seeing as what happened," He looked into the back of the squad car. "I gotta make a report about this. The sooner, the better. I'm gonna call in for a temporary replacement while I get all that sorted and everything. Plus I still need to take the stoat's statement and testimony back at the station. But before I get to do all that _fun_ stuff, there's still one thing I have to take care of first and foremost." Kaiser was about to question that when he saw Nick side glance back into the alley.

"I get ya. Shy little thing, she wouldn't budge from that one spot, no matter how much we coaxed her. Seems like you're the only one that could get a reaction out of her."

"I tend to have that effect on Animals." A smug smile following that answer.

"I'm sure you do." Placing himself in the car and pulling the door close. The window rolled down, Kaiser stuck his head out the window. "I'll see to it, that the stoat receives her personal belongs. You make sure that kit gets back home. Her folks must be worried sick."

"Don't gotta tell me twice. Oh, before you go, can you guys do me favor?"

"Sure, Wilde. What is it?"

"Think you two can give him the shake down in my place? I already got a lot to do when I get back."

"An interrogation? Cub's play. We'll get what we need outta him easy."

"Thanks, Kaiser. I owe you one, you and Zach."

"Just get the girl home and we'll call it even."

"Can do. Catch you later, man." Watching them back out onto the street, Nick watched them drive off down the road and back to the station. Leaving him all by himself in the area, glad that his job was partially done. Standing at the entrance, he knew that the pup would be comfortable now it was just him there. "It's alright, Olivia. They're gone now. You can come out." Getting down on his knees, he waited on the kit to come out of hiding, letting her proceed at her own pace. He was technically in a rush to get back to the station, wanting to get a head start on that report and back to his post, but, civilians always came first. Especially if that civilian member of his own species. Soon enough, her head popped from around the corner, looking around to see if they were truly gone. True to his word, she willed herself from where she was hiding and slowly inched her way to where Nick was, paws still clenched together while her eyes shifted about.

"A-are they gone?" Her voice still small and fearful, but Nick only smiled with a nod following.

"Just like I promised. It's just me." He replied, keeping his voice calm and steady.

"Thank you." She shifted her paws to the overall straps, twiddling her toes together.

"How come you're afraid of them? Never seen a bear and wolf before?" He kept his question so she could easily understand him. He noticed that she shook her head in disagreement.

"N-no. they were just… really big."

"Yeah, They are pretty tall, well, the bear is. The wolf is just a little more than me. But even if they are, they won't harm you. They're police officers, just like me." Olivia looked up from the ground and into Nick's eyes.

"You're a policeman?" Her voice raised a little, learning something new.

"That's right, I am" He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his badge. Flipping the cover over, he showed off the golden badge. He held it out for her to see it up close, letting her get a better understanding of it. She took hold of it and saw for herself. "Whenever you see a police with that, it means we're here to help any animal who needs it."

"A policeman," she repeated, bringing a smile to his face.

"That's right, Olivia." He praised.

"I never saw a fox policeman before." She handed him back his badge.

"That's right, I'm the first fox to become a police officer. Nicholas Wilde."

"Really?" She asked in a slightly enthusiastic manner. Her ears shot upright in an alert position, her posture a little more upright and her paws clenched into tiny fist. The change in her voice caught him off guard, making him stumble in surprise. When he found her, she was timid and meek, barely speaking at all and cowering from his fellow officers. But the moment he said that, she changed a little, which made things easier on his part. "Wow, I've heard of you, Mr. Wilde, but I didn't think I would get the chance to meet you."

"Well, today is your lucky day. You got to meet me. Also, feel free to call me Nick. Being called by my last name makes me feel old. Now, can I ask you a question?" She nodded simply. "Can you tell me why you were hiding in the alley, not in school?" His voice as gentle as he could make it, but he noticed that she slightly flinched at his words. The change was pretty quick as she regressed back into her shy demeanor but looked off to the side. Her ears falling to the side of her head and tail going limp again, he was even able to make out a small grimace on the side of her tiny muzzle and fidgeting her digits together, like she was stalling.

"Olivia?" Nick called out.

"...like it…" her voice was small and barely audible to the point where Nick had to lean in a bit with one ear perked.

"Excuse me?"

"...n't like it..." she repeated.

"You have to speak up, Olivia."

"I said I don't it!" Her voice was louder, to point where Nick recoiled a little. He covered the ear and stumbled a bit as he looked at her. His finger dug into his ear in an attempt to shake away the minor ringing, finding it to be a nuisance. He took into account at what she said about not liking school and inwardly chuckled at that.

"Don't like it, huh? Not a big fan of school are ya?" She shook her rapidly in disagreement. "How come?" She stalled again but clenched her fists.

"Everyone is mean to me!" Olivia started. "The kids are jerks and the teachers always mean to me! I told mama and papa I wanna change schools, but they said no. I don't want to go back there!" She gripped at her pant legs, looking down at her fidgeting feet.

"Mean kids? Trust me when I say this Olivia, it's not fun."

"No, no it's not." She agreed, seeming to have calmed down a bit.

"Right? No one likes to be bullied." Nick could see that she looked crestfallen now, and it bothered him to see the face of a sad girl. Putting his brain to work, he was quickly able to come up with an idea to change her mind. "Hey, can you keep a secret?" Nick asked.

"I can keep a secret!" Her response was instant, the moment he uttered that word, which took him aback, but composed himself.

 _That was fast. Faster than normal._ "You see Olivia," he looked around as if on the lookout and then cupped the side of his muzzle with one paw. "Growing up, my bullies were Prey species." Her eyes went wide from what he said.

"You too?" He only nodded as an answer. "Wow, you had bullies like me" Nick could only chuckle at that and was about to say something else, but the sound of a hungry tummy rumbled the little girl in front of him, making her cover up in embarrassment, a light chuckle could be heard.

"Seems like I'm not the only who's hungry." He stood up to full height as her eyes followed him. "C'mon, let's go get something to eat. Pretty sure it's past lunchtime for you." She hesitated, her hands fidgeting again.

"R-really? It's okay?" She asked.

"Why wouldn't it be? I'm buying. I know this really good place where you fill full with every order, no matter how small the meal is."

"I mean, is it okay for me to eat?"

 _?_ "Of course. You're stomach asked for food, so let's give it food. After that we can find your parents." He saw that her lips purse and look off to the side.

"Mama is gonna be mad at me," Olivia replied.

"Seeing as how you skipped school the entire day, I don't blame her. But she'll be glad to have you back home. Let's get some grub and I'll take you home." He turned to leave, heading back the way he came, knowing that she would follow him, and sure enough, the patter of her feet could be heard right behind. Still it was a little odd that he would find a kit wondering the alleyway on his patrol, then again, she wasn't the first runaway he had taken care of. The process was simple: bring them back to the station, run them through the system, find the parents of said child and take them home, easy as one, two and three. But for some reason or another, Olivia just stood out from the rest and he didn't know why. Granted, some of the things she said struck him as odd, but he chalked it up to being the simple fact of a child just lashing out against their parents and acting out of line. Still, something just nagged at him. He could only speculate what it was, but lost his train of thought when he felt a warm paw take hold of his finger tightly. Looking down to see that Olivia was holding onto him, He could only smile as he led on, ignoring the shaking grip she had.

 **Time: 2:15**

 **Location: ZPD main hall**

As they made their way into the fairly noisy main hall of the Police Department, Olivia clung closely to Nick while he lead the way for them. He knew where they were going, but it didn't help how she was currently feeling and would like nothing more than to bolt out of the building and flee to somewhere safe, preferably with less animals that were bigger than her. Feeling her anxiety start to rise again, she couldn't help but whimper every time one passed by at a relatively close spacing, tightening her grip at the base of his shirt. Nick was keen to the whimpering she was doing and could only smiled. He halted his movement and took this chance to get down to her height once again and offer his warmest smile. She managed to relax a bit, but her downed ear said otherwise.

"How ya holdin' up, Olivia?" His voice calmed her down even further but Nick could see that she was still uncomfortable just being in the main hall.

"I don't like it here… everyone is too tall…" Her paw balling into a fist.

"It's something you get used to after a while. I've been for almost a year now and look at me." Her head tilted to the side

"Really? But they're bigger than you. Isn't it scary?"

"Nope. I know everyone here and they're really nice. Some of these tall animals are my friends as well." Her ears perked a little from their low position.

"They are?"

"Yep, even if they are bigger than me." A smile was on the end of that reply and he up to full height as her eyes followed, a thoughtful look on her face. Nick's reply stumped the little vixen's train of thought right then and there and she couldn't help but wonder what he meant by that. A fox being friends with animals bigger than then himself? This was something entirely new to her and Olivia found herself wanting to know more of what he meant by that, but didn't get the chance to speak, seeing as how Nick's attention was called by a voice unfamiliar to her. He began moving forward towards the desk and she followed closely while staying behind him, making sure to avoid his tail.

"Nick? You're back much earlier than expected," Olivia peaked a little bit of her face to who Nick was talking to, She could make out the face of a cheetah, his noticeably round and fluffy cheeks were lightly bouncing with every word that passed his lips. A perpetual smile on his face that was friendly, just like Nick's. But she was still weary. "I take it you're here to make a report?"

"Indeed I am, Benny boy. Pretty sure you know about the theft and assault I called in?" Nick came to a stop once again and she latched onto his pants leg.

"Well yeah, I was the one who sent you backup, ya know."

"Didn't know you could sound so professional over the radio. With a voice like that you'd have someone thinking otherwise, but I guess Bogo made the right decision."

'Bogo? Who's that?' Olivia questioned herself, generalizing him to be one of Nick's friends.

"That he did. Not to brag or anything, but I do a gosh darn good job of it."

"Indeed you do, no denying that fact."

"Right? Now, on to more important things." Nick could see his nose follow the invisible trail of the aroma emitting from bag of food he had in his paw. He could only smirk as he leaned over as if he were lead, giving him the view of watching his tail twitch. He pressed down chuckle that was trying to leave, not wanting to be rude, but whenever Clawhauser got this way around food was just too funny. Adorable, but mostly funny. "Freshly cut peppercorn fries and a cricket burger, your two favorite foods… that can mean only one thing. You stopped by The Ranch!" A snap of the fingers following the answer.

"Nothing gets past your nose. Benny. 5 points for you." Nick praised.

"I'm good at what I do, Nick. it's been over 6 months, you should know this by now."

"Gosh," a finger resting under his chin in a mock thinking fashion. "Where _has_ the time gone?" Both males shared a brief chuckle from the response. Watching the entire scene take place in front of her, Olivia inched more and more of her fact from hiding to get a better look at the animal that was laughing with him. See could clearly see that, even though he was taller than her, he was very nice, just like Nick. She kept her gold and orange eyes on him while continuing to listen in on the two of them.

"So you think you can send a temporary replacement to my post? I gotta make a report."

"No problem! I can send some reserves there while you get that all sorted out."

"Thanks, Clawhauser. I know it won't take long to make my report, but you never know. Something else could always come up, not that I'm complaining. But after that, there's still something else I have to take care of." Clawhauser arched an eyebrow, confused that Nick would say that.

"After that? What do you mean by after-" Benjamin would've continued, but stopped midsentence when out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that a pair of eyes were locked onto him, peeking out from behind Nick. Angling his head a little more, he could make out the face and head structure of a kit that was hiding behind him. Her fur was the same color as Nick, just a lighter shade of orange and her black tipped ears were slanted down as she kept looking at him before looking down. It was then that Clawhauser understood why there was a follow-up.

"Uh, Nick, is that…?" Benjamin trailed, pointing towards the kit. A surprised but small yelp leaving her lips and she darted back behind him, out of his view.

"I see you met Olivia." Nick replied.

"Olivia? That's her name?" The question was directed at Nick, who nodded in affirmation.

"Yep, that's right. Found her in an alley a few blocks away from my post and as you can see, she's very shy."

"Oh, the poor dear."

"Hang on, I'll try to bring her out." Nick knew that she was holding onto his tail and was shaking quite a bit, clearly nervous about being spotted. He didn't want to take away her hiding spot, seeing as how she acted around the bear and wolf was a bad idea all in itself. Instead, he remained upright and looked down at her, green meeting orange. "Olivia, you wanna come out and meet Officer Clawhauser?" He asked. Her grip tighten, but it didn't bother him one bit.

"No!" Her answer quick and terse, slightly offending Benjamin.

"You sure? Cause he's one of my friends." Nick baited. Her shaking stopped and she looked up towards him, that familiar warm smile on his face. She peeked out to see that the cheetah gave a sheepish smile of his own then back up to Nick again.

"Really? He's one of your friends?" Olivia repeated him, looking for confirmation.

"He is, one of the sweetest animals on the force. He's very nice to every mammal he meets, big or small. He even shares his donuts, something that he does with his friends, very special." Olivia looked over to him, seeing the cheetah nodded in agreement. "What do you say?" Her attention back on Nick. "Wanna give him a proper greeting?" She looked over to Clawhauser who was still smiling at her and then back Nick, patiently waiting for her reply. She hesitated with her answer, still weary of the officer at the desk, but from what she had heard, he sounded nice. Not really seeing a reason to deny, Olivia nodded a few times, much to Nick's delight.

O… okay. I'll try…" Her voice was small and her grip ceased.

"Wonderful! Come on out and say hello to the pudgy cheetah." Although the start was slow, she stepped out from behind Nick and stood beside him, her paws clenching together while planted in front of her in a humble manner while she kept her eyes down on her twiddling feet. Taking in some breaths to calm herself down a bit, she spoke at her own pace.

"H-h-hello… I'm O-Olivia… it's nice to m-meet you, Mr. Clawhauser." She looked up at him, her ears still drawn back. There was a brief moment of silence, but it didn't stay that way for very long, Clawhauser saw to that.

"O… M… Goodness, You're so adorable!" Olivia saw his paws travel up cheeks, further widening his smile. The pitch of his voice considerably higher as well. While it didn't scare her, she did find a bit strange that a male could get his voice to sound that high. "Nick, she's like a tiny version of you!" The paws holding his cheeks balled into fists and his round ears folding against his head.

'A tiny version of Nick?' She looked up at him in confusion.

"You're not the first one to say that, Benny-boy. I got several comments like that back at The Ranch. Some even made passes at me." He chuckled at the post encounters.

"Well of course, that's to be expected" He rested his arms on the desk and leaned in, a bit of sass in his voice. "Single ladies are drawn to that, Nick. The scenario goes like this: Male walks in, male has pup with him, ladies think that's his daughter and swoon behind his back, ladies try to make said male their mate. That's pretty much how it goes… at least from what I've read."

"I think you've been reading too many sappy romance novels. Least they aren't trashy." A smirk on his muzzle.

"Oh whatever! My point still stands, you walked in with a child and they assumed she was yours."

"You know she's not my kid, right?"

"Oh I know that. I could easily tell by her eyes." Benjamin pointed out.

'My eyes? What about them?' Olivia wondered what he meant by that.

"Her eyes? How does that work?"

"To save you a whole convoluted explanation about genes and alleles, I'll just bottom line it. In the fox community, Green eyes, like yours for example, are the most dominant trait, whereas Olivia's aren't. Her eyes are a dusty gold color, that's a VERY rare trait, even rarer that she has two different colors on the same iris. No way she's your kit."

"I noticed that too when I found her. Not something you see everyday."

"That trait is almost non-existent this day and age. So yeah, she's very lucky to have that." Olivia could feel her cheeks tint a little as she looked off to the side, find what he said genuinely nice, even though she didn't smile.

"I have to agree to that. Now, I have a lunch break that needs to be shared with a certain bunny and you know how I'm not one to keep her waiting. So, me and Olivia are gonna get going. I'll have my report done and ready by then. Give my position to Officers Cunningham and Sutton. Explain what's going on and they'll understand the rest." He turned his attention towards Olivia and lightly nudged her shoulder. A confused look on her face when she looked up to him. "Come on, let's get going." She took hold of his finger and he lead the way. "Later Benny." Nick lead the way out of the hall and towards where he worked. "Also, send the stoat to me, I can take her statement and get things sorted."

"But, what about your lunch?"

"I can stave it off a little longer. Wouldn't be a good office if I couldn't handle my hunger, now would I?"

"Fair point." Just as they were about to go, Benjamin called out to them. "Oh, Nick, one more thing before you go, it's about the thing you asked me to look into," Nick stopped mid stride of their walk and turned his attention back to the cheetah. "It's proving difficult with little info to go on, but I just want you to know that I'm making progress. Hopefully, I can have something for you by the end of the week." Nick only nodded and a genuine smile was on his muzzle.

"Thanks, Ben. This really means alot to me. Just keep up with what you're doing, that's all I'm asking for."

"No problem, I let you know once I find more."

"Alright, me and Olivia are gone. Got a lot to cover before the end of my shift." With that said and done, both foxes traveled further down the hallway with each step from the main and down the more narrow pathways.

"What did you ask him to do?" Olivia asked, curious about what they talked about. The sudden question earn a chuckle as Nick looked down at her.

"It's nothin' important. Just asking him for a favor. Don't worry about it, it's all grown up stuff, something you'll understand when you become an adult, I promise." He only smiled while leading on past various rooms. Olivia didn't quite understand what he meant by that, but didn't press it any further. He did say that it was for grown ups after all. Nick looked down to see that she was frowning again and only let out a sigh. Perhaps someone more her size would be better company. "So," She looked towards him "you ready to meet my partner? I'm pretty sure you'll like her."

The clacking sound of digits hitting the keys could be heard throughout the cubicle as a bored Judy eyed her screen monitor, watching letters fall into place of a report that she was tasked with filling out. It was a simple 5 page report that Chief Bogo had tasked her with completing, even though she was technically done with reports for the day. It was a chance to earn a little more on her paycheck, so she didn't mind a little extra work, seeing as how that was all she could do for now. Nick told her that he had a theft to stop earlier and hasn't heard from him since then, he was in a hurry after all, so the cancellation of getting lunch in their call was to be expected. Still, Judy knew that Nick could handle himself on a simple solo patrol, both his training and her mentoring saw to that quite well, but she would still worry a bit when it was just him out there, for the part of her mind, the part that was protective of her mate, always spoke loudest out of all the others. The clicking of keys stopped suddenly as she leaned back into her chair, a brief and brisk breath left her lips.

'It's been over 30 minutes,' she reached for her phone and tapped the screen, seeing the lapse in time from when the call ended. 'And still no word from Nick. I hope he's alright.' Placing it back down, Judy placed her paws back on the keyboard, preparing to finish up. She was really looking forward to patrolling with him, making this long day rather short, timewise in a manner of speaking. She had to hand it to him, Nick always managed to make time go by much more quickly, be it breaking protocol with quick but heated, passionate romps or just sitting there and talking about various things, he knew how to keep her entertained. Just as one digit was about to hit a key, her ears twitched when she heard something nearby, but Judy's only response was a smirk. She already knew who was here and didn't bother to turn around.

"We've been through this before, Nick. You can't sneak up on me, no matter how hard you try." There was brief silence before a familiar chuckle was heard, making Judy smirk victoriously.

"Aww, and here I was trying my hardest to get you this time. Fun killer." Judy giggled when she felt his lips land squarely on her cheek, the blushing came immediately but she didn't shy away, rather, she pressed into it, knowing that they were the only ones there. Leaving his lips there a little longer, he pulled away with a smooching sound following up with an affectionate nuzzle to conclude. "Sorry about earlier, it all happened pretty fast. But I took care of lunch for us on the way back. Here you go, Carrots. To make up for it." Sorting out the three, he handed her the bag with her meal in it, which she gratefully accepted.

"You got me the Carrot salad?" Her voice raising in joyful anticipation while opening the bag, the smell of her favorite meal filling her nose, making it twitch. When she looked in, a small squeal of elation passed her lips.

"Premium." Her ears twitched at the word. "With low sodium dressing and some fresh fruits on the side. I figured I'd make it a little more special since our original plan got canned." His reply earned a coo from her.

"Aww, Nick~," She reached for his tie and pulled down to her level, passionately planting a kiss directly on his lips making his eyes go wide with surprise. The spark that he felt whenever they connected lips surged throughout his whole body, shooting his ears upright and erect, as well as puff and fluff out his tail a bit. She pulled back and smiled his way. "You're so sweet, thank you."

"So sweet, I'll make you sick?" The bunny chuckled at his poor analogy, find his attempts adorable, but was flattered nonetheless. Placing the bag carefully on her desk while keeping her grip on his tie, she placed her paw on his cheek and lovingly caressed cheeks, intimately locking her amethyst colored eyes directly with his emerald ones, eyelids covering the top half, giving off that sultry look he knew all too well. Feeling the heat in his cheeks as she continued to stroke him, he spoke up as she leaned over planted another kiss on his cheek. "Uhhh… Fluff?"

"Hmmm?" She pulled back and went for his cold wet nose this time, nuzzling the black pad in that bunny fashion, a trait passed down from her lapine ancestors .

"Wh-what's with the affection?" He wasn't opposed to this, in fact, he was all for the attention he was getting, but knew that now wasn't the best time.

"Giving you a reward after all you did today. I heard from Clawhauser that you succeeded in stopping a theft, returned priceless belongings back to a stoat and you went above by making up for our lunch plan. I believe that warrants a treat, does it not?" The knowing smirk she showed made Nick gasp internally. The paw on his cheek worked it's way towards the collar of his standard uniform, feeling him vibrate at her tender touch.

"Didn't think a few good deeds and getting you a premium salad would make you this handsy, ya know?"

"Like I said, you deserve a reward and I'm giving it to you~" She moved under his muzzle and worked her way down the trail starting from his jawline down to the base of his neck, small pert kisses and licks were planted along the way, causing Nick to gasp sensually as he placed a free paw on her desk, steadying himself. He could feel all that rousing energy work from his head to the tip of his tail, but he wasn't worried about that, there was one spot that was starting to feel the effect and he knew he had to stop her.

"Ah~ J-Ju-Judahhhh…" He had to force himself away from the pleasurable assault. "W-wait. Judy, hold up…" As much as he didn't want it to stop, it had to for now.

"What's wrong, Nick?" She looked at him in confusion that he would be the one stop something that he really enjoyed from her. He took this moment to slow his breaths and calm down even though she let out a huff.

"W-wow, didn't peg you one for foolin' around in the cubicle. For a second there, I thought you were in season… wait, you're season's not starting, is it?"

"You don't need me to tell you when it is, you have the perfect detector square on your face." She tapped it and a deeper blush appeared. "Besides, is it wrong for me to show just how much I love you?"

"No no, It's not, I just didn't think it would be in the ZPD, which is pretty daring. Even for you, Carrots."

"You said you always wanted something spontaneous." She smirked again in that smug fashion.

"When you know that the chances of us being caught and put on suspension are incredibly high?"

"Could make desk duty a heck of a lot more interesting, don't you agree?" A wink followed and Nick swore that he felt his heart skip a beat. Both surprised and turned-on by this rabbit in front of him, he couldn't help but lecherously chuckle at her idea.

"See? That, that right there, the mischievous side of you, That's the reason why I love you, ya needy bunny."

"Just that, sure there aren't other factors that make me appealing?"

"Oh, there are. I'm just responding to your advances in kind."

"Good answer, handsome fox." She planted a quick peck on his cheek once more. "But back on topic, why'd you stop? Usually you're gung-ho on mischief making in the station. Why the sudden conscious?" Pulling back, he straightened his tie, making himself somewhat presentable.

"Well, other than my need to follow the upheld rules," Judy only rolled her eyes at his reply. "The Stoat's meeting me here and I'm gonna take her statement. We're gonna see if she presses charges against the perp, which is more than likely. Also," He trailed while walking out of the cubicle.

"Also?"

"We have a guest with us today, my dear Cottontail." Judy arched an eyebrow as he got down on his knee, "Do try to be patient with her, she's very shy." He took his attention off her and on something else while Judy arched an eyebrow at the word 'she'. "Alright, Olivia. You can come out now. Come meet Officer Hopps." Judy felt a sudden surge of jealousy from hearing the name of another female leave his lips. And by her first name no less! She was about to confront Nick about that and give him a good stern talking to with a few hop kicks for added measures, but didn't get the chance to when the tiny fox walked past the walls and into her view, quashing any lingering thoughts that were hiding in the back of her mind.

"Olivia, this is Officer Judy Hopps; Zootopia's first official bunny cop and my partner. Judy, this is Olivia. I found her after the theft."

"H-Hello…" She gave a small wave, a tiny smile on her muzzle. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Hopps."

"Well hello to you too!" She pushed herself off the chair and walked over to where the kit was. Arms falling behind her back, Judy showed off her best smile to the little girl. "Pleased to meet you, Olivia. I take it that my partner was the one that found you?" She shifted her posture into a hunching one, placing her paws on the caps of her knees in an attempt to match her height with the kit's. Olivia could see that the bunny was taller than her but by a small margin compared to the other animals she had met on the way here and felt a lot more comfortable.

"Y-yeah, he did. Nick's been really nice to me since then. He even brought me food." A quick glance toward the bags in his paw brought a smirk to Judy's face.

"Did he now?" Her eyes shifted towards the fox, looking off to the side then back to the little girl. "Did you you remember your manners and thank him?"

"Yes ma'am, I did."

"Polite little darling, isn't she, 'Ma'am'?" Nick mimicked in a teasing tone. Judy only rolled her eyes and brushed it off, knowing that he was kidding around. From the sidelines, Nick stood back up to full height and simply watched the two mammals talk back and forth about little things. Just as he predicted, Olivia was having an easier time talking to someone who was basically her height, taking away the intimidation factor and placing her in a more comforting position to open up. The only reason Nick could guess why she was okay around him was most likely due to the fact that they were the same species, despite that he was much taller than her. He was content with watching the two just talk about simple things that she could answer, seeing as how Judy had over 200 brothers and sisters, having a conversation with a kit was easy. The scene of a bunny and kit talking with each other was interrupted when a familiar voice had called out to him from nearby.

"Ah. Officer Wilde," Nick Judy and Olivia looked down the lane of cubicles to see a stoat that was walking towards them in a brisk manner. "We meet again."

"Indeed we do, Mrs... " Nick trailed, never getting her name.

"It's Williams. Nora Williams," She came to a stop when just a meter away from him. "Also, allow me to thank you once again for your help, Officer Wilde. You're a shining example for your kind."

"Just doing my civic duty, Ma'am." A light bow following.

"And you're doing a fantastic job. Hopefully we'll have another fox that becomes a cop in the future."

"The chances of that are pretty likely. Which I look forward to mentoring."

"I'm sure you'll be a fantastic teacher. Oh…!" out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a little fox cub that was standing inside of Judy's cubicle, paws behind her back and her foot tracing the tile while looking off to the side. Her ears were back but that didn't stop her from being polite. With one arm out of hiding, she waved simply and a small smile followed. Mrs. Williams was a little surprised but waved in kind before turning her attention back to Nick. "Goodness, I didn't know you had a daughter." Focusing on the kit, Mrs. Williams gave a warm smile her way. "Aside from her eyes and ears, her fur looks like yours, but lighter. She must've inherited it from the mother, adorable little darling. Did you just pick her up from school?"

Judy arched an eyebrow when the word 'Daughter' and Nick's person were used in the same sentence. She locked eyes with Nick and smirk followed, wanting to know more about that, but the fox didn't give her the chance to speculate any further. He turned his attention back to Mrs. Williams and shook his head in a disagreeing manner.

"No no no, she's not my kit." A nervous chuckle leaving his lips. "Believe me, I've been asked that loads of time today."

"She isn't?"

"'Fraid not, Mrs. Williams. I found her after the guy who stole your things was escorted to a holding cell."

"I see, that's too bad. From where I'm standing, I could've sworn she was. You definitely look like the father type." Nick cleared his throat at the thought of what she said and put it out of his mind, wanting to get started on his report.

"Who can say? Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. No one ever truly knows, but onto to the main topic. Are you ready to make your statement?" With a nod from her, Nick lead her towards his work station where he could take her statement of what happened before hand, giving both Olivia and Judy a chance to talk more about stuff to pass the time.

As a fellow officer escorted Mrs. Williams out of the working area, Nick saw her off with a wave, his job done and all that was left was to type up his report now that he had her statement written down and complete. Luckily it was something that could be done within a matter of minutes, since Waltzer volunteered to interrogate the perp that assaulted her, which worked great on his part. Now he could focus on finding Olivia's parents and take her home. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of an angry parent barging into the precinct demanding to know where their taxpayer dollars are going. His train of thought was cut short when he felt a bump at the his hip and it was accompanied with a familiar voice. He already knew what was coming and didn't bother fighting it.

"So," in his peripheral vision, a smirk could be seen. "Mistaken for her 'father' huh? When were you gonna tell me?"

"Oh you know me, I just hate spoiling surprises." He played along, knowing that Judy wasn't one to let something like this go so easily.

"Well, she's one heck of a surprise, Nick."

"Considerate her an early birthday gift then." Nick smirked when he saw a faint blush appear on her face. "Figured I'd take the initiative."

"Hmph. Well played, Fox." Nick only bowed as a response. "Joking aside, let's eat up and the sooner we take the girl home, the better. Her folks must be worried sick."

"If you had a kitten that skipped classes, of course you'd worry. I would. Last thing I would want was for my kit to be God knows where besides school on a school day."

"Is that a fatherly tone I hear?"

"If by fatherly, you mean concerned, then yes."

"I figured as much. That being said," The two of them walked back towards Judy's work area where Olivia was patiently sitting, getting a headstart on her lunch, paying them no mind. "We have a few of days off starting next week and I'm gonna go visit my family then. You wanna come with?"

"I dunno, Carrots. Whenever we go to your folks to visit, I always end up exhausted coming back."

"What? You love visiting my parents and all my brothers and sisters love you."

"I know, hence the word: exhausted."

"I see. Well, what if blueberries were involved?" His ears perked, but he kept a chilled facial expression

"If there's blueberries, I'll start packing at the end of our shift."

"How about I do you one better? When we get there, we're gonna make blueberry pies."

"D… Did I hear that right? Blueberry pies?" His tail wagged at the thought of having his two favorite snacks combined together.

"Yep. We had a bountiful harvest with some leftovers. Dad thought it would be a waste to simply toss them and the our neighbors don't want them, so, we're gonna make pies instead. Still wanna stay in the city, without me?" Nick knew that Judy had him right where she want. She playfully leaned to the side with her head slumped on her shoulder, her arms folded behind her back as she patiently waited on his answer.

"Monday can't get here soon enough." A wink followed.

"Great!" Reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone, her digits danced across the screen with the intent of contacting her family. "I'll let my mom know and she'll set up our own room in advance. Won't be a repeat of last time, I promise."

"Please do, Carrots. I don't think my dignity can handle another scandal." Judy scoffed at his 'woe-is-me' tone and continued with the arrangements.

"Don't be such a drama vixen, my older siblings are helping out this time, so we'll have a lot more privacy than last time."

"Oh Carrots, you're so good to me."

"And don't you forget it. Either." She placed her phone back into her pocket and stepped over to her chair, taking a seat while the kit in the cubicle only watched the two adults from sideline. Placing herself back in the chair fishing out her meal that probably went cold by now, Judy went back typing away at the report now that everything was sorted with her folks. "You go get a jump on finding Olivia's parents, I'm gonna finish up this report, enjoy my lunch and then we'll head out."

"Good, because I've been craving food since this morning." Taking hold of the bag, Nick arched an eyebrow as he took hold. The moment he lifted it, something felt off. Before the next bite was taken, Judy stopped midway.

"Something the matter, Nick?" Nick looked over to the kit briefly before turning his attention back to the bunny.

"Nah, it's nothing. Just remembering something, that's all. "With his bag in paw, he left the area and walked over towards his own area. He had Mrs. Williams statement, so typing up the testimony could wait for now, it was already 10 minutes to 3 PM and Olivia was still here and not home. Nick could only imagine how furious her parents would be when he returned her, but perhaps his presence could soften things for the cub, and if what she said was true about her school, he might even be able to convince them that a change of schools would help. Reaching his own station, he planted himself in front of the screen and got a head start on the search, ignoring the fact that his bag was much lighter than before.

 **Time: 3:05**

 **Location: Residential Area; 5623 SE 56th St**

 **Area: Barklyn Grove**

The drive from the precinct was a relatively quiet among the three of them. Normally Nick and Judy would talk about anything that came to mind or something that one of their coworkers would did that they found amusing and was worth going on a tangent about. It was the little things that got them going for almost hours on end, but ever since Olivia joined them, it was hard to get a conversation going. Judy tried to make small talk with her, but a word or three, she would fall silent and not speak unless spoken too. Nick on the other paw kept his eyes on the road as they made the transition from the ZPD to Barklyn. It was a long drive, nearly an hour, but he didn't mind the trip. There wasn't a whole lot of traffic on the road so that made things easier on him. Out of habit, he would sneak glances from the rearview mirror, watching Olivia from it. He noticed that her paws were constantly balled up on her lap and her head past her shoulders, making him unable to see her eyes, then again, Nick didn't need to see them to know that she was terrified. He was taking her home and more than likely, her mother was going to be pissed that her child skipped an entire day of school. Most likely grounded, but she had to get home, regardless of parental punishment. Still, to find kit in an alley on a school day and not have a parent call in they were missing, Nick found it odd they weren't notified but didn't want to jump to conclusions on a whim. But that nagging feeling just wouldn't stop, no matter how professional he tried to be.

Coming to a stop on the curb of Barklyn Grove, the three of them had arrived at the address of where the kit lived. Needless to say, they were quite surprised when their eyes fell on the house. Like all the others in the area, it was fancy two story house with flowers under every window that was within view. An overarch that was placed over the driveway, granting shade and protection from the harsh rays of the sun. The lawn was a nice healthy shade of green, showing that it was properly cared for by the family gardener. The coat was a pale beige that covered most of the house while the tiles were deep mahogany color. It was a pretty impressive house, they couldn't deny that fact but then again, it wasn't everyday they traveled out to the rich part of Zootopia.

"This where she lives?" Judy was the first one out of the car, inspecting the house from where they were parked. "You sure we're in the right place?"

"You doubt my animal finding skills? Oh, Carrots. You should know me better than that. I AM an ex-con after all." He followed her lead and stepped out and stretching his legs. He had been on longer drives than this, but it still felt nice to give his muscles a chance to contract.

"Yeah yeah, I know that much," a dismissive tone in her voice. "We've just never been here before, so I'm a little skeptical. That's all."

"I don't blame you. We are in Blue Blood territory after all."

"Blue Blood?" She repeated, confused by the term. "What's that?" Nick couldn't believe what he was hearing from his partner and feigned a gasp of disappointment, a paw landing over his heart as he leaned back

"Blue Bloods, Carrots. Blue Bloods! You know; The Bourgee, The High Ballers, Deep Pockets, The Jiggies, The Fat Cats, The 1%"

"In non 90s speak, please?"

"Ugh, you bunnies." he reached over to the rear door and took hold of the handle. "So sheltered. Basically, the rich. We're in one of the richest parts of Zootopia, which is why I said Blue Bloods. More commonly known as BBs for short."

"I see. Sounds like you've been here before, have you?"

"Nah and I prefer not to. Don't need to be feeling that ancestral itch, now do I?" Pulling the door open, Nick looked in to see that Olivia hadn't moved from that same spot since they started out. Her paws still balled up and her gaze was down while her ears were flat against her head, her tail over her waist in that protective manner, showing a vulnerable and fearful kit. Nick couldn't help but feel for the girl. No child wants to be on the receiving end of a parent's wrath, he knew that much growing up. Hopefully she wouldn't pull a stunt like this again, last thing he wanted was find again but with a white sheet over tiny frame. "Hey Sweetheart," His voice pulled her out of the trance she put herself in. Her ears perked in attention and faced him. "We're here. You're home now. The sooner you get this over with, the better it will be for you. Now come on, let's not keep your folks waiting." He held out a paw for her to take hold of, waiting on her. With her lips tightening, Olivia only nodded in agreement and took hold, latching onto his fingers and shifted herself from the car and out onto the street, her grip never loosening.

Upon reaching the front steps of the house, Nick was the one to knock on the door, giving it five solid hits and then waited for someone to answer them. There was a car in the driveway, so they knew that one of her parents had to be home. As they waited, Nick felt her grip tighten even more, to point where it was nearly starting to hurt. Not only that, but the shaking her felt from her only continued ever since they got here. Like she didn't want to be here. Just as Nick was about to try and calm her down, the door opened and revealed who was on the other side, directing their attention.

"Oh! This is quite unexpected," Once the door was opened fully, a slim yet curvaceous white furred vixen draped in a silky velvet one piece that hugged the finer points of her body in a rather… provocative manner, enough to make any male blush should he look her way. The dress had straps that fell to the side below her shoulders and the tail of the outfit rested on the edge of her calves. The top part exposed a very good amount of cleavage but not enough to fall into the excessive parts and she had the voice of a seductress. "I wasn't expecting a visit from a male in uniform, especially a handsome one, such as yourself. To what do I owe this surprise?" Her paw landing on her cheek, toying with the fur in that coquettish manner. Yellow eyes going half lidded in an attempt to match Nick's. Though he was unaffected by that. Judy on the other paw felt a slight surge of jealously run through her entire body, making her fur lightly bristle as she kept an eye on her.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Barnett." Nick started but was cut short by a paw raising in from him.

"Please Officer, call Natalia." she purred, her tail swinging from side to side behind her. "It makes talking so much easier, wouldn't you agree?" She leaned in bit, making an attempt to get into his personal space.

"I agree. Talking on a first name bases does make things simple."

"At last, another fox that understands," She reached out and pet his cheek in a tender manner. Judy clenched her paws into fist, cracking the bones on the inside as she watched this female put a paw on her mate. She wanted to ignore protocol and hop kick her across the face, but pushed back her inner desires and remained calm "Why can't there be more foxes like you?"

"What can I say?" he shrugged with his free arm. "I'm one of a kind."

"Indeed you are…"

"Keep it professional, Officer Wilde. In case you forgot, we're here for a reason." Judy interrupted, diverting attention down towards. Her foot tapping in an irate manner and a scowl on her face which was aimed at Nick. He only winked her way and turned back to the vixen.

"It's as my partner says. The reason why we're here Mrs. Barnett is because of your daughter." Nick stepped off to the side, revealing Olivia to her, the grip on his fingers never loosening. "Mrs. Barnett, were you aware that your daughter was not in school at all today? I found her hiding in an alley during one of my patrols." All attention was on the child and Nick had expected an explosion of parental authority to sound out from her and drag the girl inside to discuss a proper punishment, but the opposite happened. A sigh left Natalia's lips as she placed her paw on her forehead.

"Again Olivia? Her voice turning harsh and the kit winched. Nick arched an eyebrow at the word, finding that odd for a reprimand. "This is the fifth time you've been brought back here, yet you still continue to pull this stunt."

"I-I'm sorry, Mama…" was Olivia's reply, her eyes locked onto the ground.

"You fractious child."Contempt behind her words. "I don't know why you keep doing this."

"From she has told me, Mrs. Barnett. She's been a victim of bullying at her school. I was thinking that maybe a change would do her some good." A light but biting laugh left her lips from he said, dripping with mockery and scorn.

"Is that what she told you? Oh, darling, pay her no mind. That's just a lie only a brat would come up with to avoid school." Nick found her remark a bit disturbing to say the least, but he kept it to himself for now. "You needn't worry Officer, my Husband and I will see to it that this doesn't happen again."

"I don't know, Mrs. Barnett." Judy spoke up to the vixen, even though she didn't want to. "I know what it's like to be bullied and it feels horrible. Perhaps a change of schools is just what she needs to stop running away." Her reply was met with a chuckle.

"Oh, you needn't worry about that, Honey." She waved her paw in a dismissive manner. "She just needs to grow a thicker pelt and just shrug it off. She'll be fine. Even though I had bullies, I turned out alright. But I appreciate your concern for my daughter."

' _Honey?_ 'The thought ran through her head and she clenched even more at the attitude this vixen was giving her. "I see. My apologies, Mrs. Barnett." Clearly feeling insulted, Judy wanted to lash out at that, but knew better.

Seeing Natalia insult his mate like that was more than enough to make Nick internally growl, but he pushed it back. Instead, the smirk that was on his face had been replaced with a flat line of boredom as he kept his eyes on the vixen before him, keeping the amount of questions that he had for her held back. "Please see to it that this doesn't happen again. She has a lot of potential , that much I know."

"Of course, of course. Thank you for bringing her home and I apologize for the long drive her."

"It's fine. I needed a little get away from the big city, anyways." Natalia only smirked at his reply and sharply snapped her fingers, making Olivia flinch at the sound.

"Olivia, inside the house. We need to talk, and when your father gets home, we're going to discuss your punishment." Nick heard a faint gasp from her lips. "Now. Olivia." The grip on him instantly vanished and the kit scurried inside of the house. "You know where to go. I won't repeat myself twice."

"Y-yes, Mama… Bye Nick…" A small wave followed as she disappeared into the house, leaving the three adults behind on the front steps. A breath left Natalia's lips and she turned away from them, preparing to head inwards, but not before brushing her tail against his legs.

"I apologize that we had to meet like this Officer," she turned head in a angle where only her eye was locked onto Nick and him only, tuning out Judy. "Hopefully our next encounter will be under better circumstances, yes? Feel free to drop by anytime you wish, I implore you. I'll have snacks and drinks prepared by then. Until then," With the door about to close on them, she looked out the small space winked his way. "Ciao." The door closed, leaning the both of them alone. This was the prime chance for Judy to unload everything that just happened, but Nick didn't give her that chance yet. Instead, he took her by the paw and led her back to the car.

"Can you believe her? Who does she think she is?!" Judy fumed as she slammed the door behind once she was in the car, her foot thumping rapidly on the floor.

"Someone I hope to never meet again within my lifetime, Carrots. That was… unpleasant. And that's putting it mildly." He started the ignition, putting the car in reverse while watching his back as he backed out of the lane. "Look, let's just put this behind us and go about the rest of our day, because I really want to forget about… that." Judy could tell that he really didn't want to think about it and respected his wish.

"Fair enough. Plus we have a patrol to finish, perhaps that'll help us get over what just happened."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's get to it."

Placing the car in drive, they left the way they came and prepared for another long drive back to the ZPD, but not with casting another glance at the house, hoping that this would be the last time he would have to come back here.

 **To Be Continued...**


	3. Freshly scented plans

Strings and Knots

Chapter 3: Freshly scented plans

Hey, Everyone!

I have once again returned to the site with a new chapter for you all and I hope you enjoy, but before we get to the goodness, something to talk about are in order.

First and foremost, I deeply apologize for the massive delay of chapter 3. A lot of things have happened in the last 9 months and I mean a lot of things, but they're all good things!

First one.

I finally got my GED!

After keeping at for so long I finally did it and now I'm back in school for Graphic Animation and you know what that means.

Projects. Lots and lots of projects. It's hard work and with a side project I got going on while handling homework, It shouldn't cut into my fanfic time too much.

And lastly.

I already have the first 13 pages of chapter 4 completed, so only seven more to go!

Without further ado, let's dive right in.

Walking in the station with a paw clasping over his open muzzle, Nick let out a muffled yawn as he found himself still in the process of waking up. What surprised him was how early managed to get up around this time of the morning, especially on his own. Normally he would sleep in a good extra 15-20 minutes before either his alarm went off or Judy acted as his personal one but with more energy and persuasion, but today however wasn't the case. Greeting everyone that passed him by, he walked over to the cheetah what was tapping away on his phone casually handing off files of paperwork to various animals with a standard morning greeting while occasionally tossing some gossip here and there. Making his way over, he popped some joints into place as his presence was noticed by Clawhauser.

"Well well well, this is quite the surprise," he placed the phone on the desk and rested his chin on the topside of his laced digits. "Never did I think that I would see that you. Of all the animals in Zootopia, would be the first one in before Judy. Who are you and what have you done with Nicky?" Nick only chuckled as his arm rested on the desk.

"I dunno? Perhaps I bound and gagged him and left his body somewhere leaving it to rot."

"Perhaps I should put out an APB?"

"Perhaps you should, you might find his corpse still fresh and element free." Both males chuckled at the little back and forth they had between them before Nick spoke up again, a breath leaving his lips. "Kidding aside. This happens rarely, the whole 'me getting up before Judy' thing.

"So it's something not to expect too often, just so you know. Plus it's Friday and you know how much I love my final days before the weekends."

"TGIF indeed. Speaking of which," Benjamin looked to see that a Judy-less Nick all by his lonesome right in front of him. "It's rare to see you without Judy by your side. You two are pretty much inseparable. Conflicting differences?"

"Nah," He waved a paw in dismissal. "Nothing like that. She just had some last minute things to take care of. Ya know, 'Bunny' related things."

"Mhm. The most convoluted of them all."

"Right? So don't worry, she'll be here in a few and once again will we be known as Wilde Hopps, or so we're dubbed." The smirk he threw his way made Clawhauser squeal lightly in response. "And until then, it's just you and me, laughing boy."

"So it would seem. But hey, more time for gossip."

"I do enjoy me some loose-lipped secrets.

"Do you now? In that case, do I have a story to tell you! It's about McHorn the other day."

"Ah yes, more dirt from our fellow officers is always a treat worth sharing. But before we get to the juicy bits, how have things been going? You know, with what I asked you to find. Any luck?" Clawhauser only let out a sigh as part of answer, finding his impatience a bit irksome to say the least. He knew that Nick wanted answers, but these kinds of things can't be rushed, no matter how badly it was wanted. Lifting his chin and placing his laced hands together, closing them together, he relaxed his tail and focused on the fox.

"Nick, listen," He started. "These things take _time_ to process, okay? I know you want answers, but you can't rush it. You literally just asked me this a couple of days ago, nothing has turned up yet. Remember, we're dealing with delicate info here. Try to force and it'll come crumbling down and you don't want that, do you?" Nick let out a frustrated sigh and slumped his shoulders, knowing that Benjamin was right about this. It had been a long and tedious 5 weeks since they started this together and had been painstaking all the way, especially keeping it hush-hush from pretty much everyone in the precinct and to Nick's surprise, as much as of a gossip Clawhauser was, he had been pretty tight lipped about all this and he was grateful to him for that, making things easier on his part. The last thing he wanted was mess this all up due to a rush towards inconclusive answers based on poor judgement. His nose flared a bit as he exhaled a breath he was holding him and slumped his head a bit, eyes falling to the floor for a brief moment then back to the cheetah.

"You're right, you're right." Nick conceded, holding up both his paws in a surrender manner. "Sorry. It's just… this has really been bugging me for a while now, ya know?"

Clawhauser only chuckled in a light manner, putting the fox at ease. He did a single wave-off and smiled calmly. "It's alright, Nick. I promise, I'll get the info to you soon. Just don't put your mind on it so much, it's gonna drive you crazy, and you know what Bogo does to those who are distracted."

"I'll say, McWool served as a pretty good example of that." He winched his face and parted one side of his lips, revealing his closed canines and sucked in air making 'ssss' sound as if in pain. "That was the loudest demeaning lecture I've ever heard from him."

"Pretty sure the entire department heard him that day." Clawhauser commented.

"A day in a fate, I wish to avoid. I don't think my delicate ears could take it." a light chortle erupted from the cheetah's lips.

"In that case, stay focused, do you your job and you won't have to worry about that."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"Good!" Leaning back into the chair, a breath of relief as he could move on to the next topic. "With that out of the way, how have things been for little Viva?" The fox arched an eyebrow at that.

"Viva?"

"I'm talking about Olivia, the mini version of you! How is she?" Clawhauser pointed out, his tail doing that twitch when excited about something or someone.

"Oh, Olivia!" The memory of the little vixen came back to him. "Um, I don't know actually. I haven't talked with her in the last few days, not since me and Judy took her home. And the run in with her mother." An irritated huff left him and he rested his head against the padded palm of his paw. "An experience most unpleasant." The look on Clawhauser changed from jovial to matching expression that Nick was sporting.

"Oh I know!" his arms folding while leaning on the countertop. "Judy told me all about it after you guys got back. Needless to say, she was less than happy about the whole ordeal. And shame on you!" Clawhauser chastised him, slowly shaking his head in disapproval. "Flirting with such... _filth_ in front of your partner."

"Trust me when I say this, I regret my actions. Wish I stopped myself but I'm glad it didn't go any further than that."

"Thankfully. Plus, wasn't it… ya know…" Nick arched an eyebrow. "Icky… when she started to get all handsy and stuff?" The memory was more than enough to get a shudder out of him. Nick was used to that kind of attention when dealing with various female during his shift, be it cases that forced him to play the charismatic role or parking ticket duties when he would get various *offers* from the ladies in hopes that he would tear up the ticket and let them go with a warning. While the attention was nice and all, it didn't mean anything to him, he was simply playing the suave part of his personality like he had most of his life, for he knew where his heart truly laid. But what happened those last two days left a bad taste in his mouth and was glad it didn't go further than a petting on the cheek and a tail brush.

"It was… less than ideal, I'll admit. Something I don't wanna go through again. I honestly don't know how Olivia is doing, but I'm pretty sure that she's attending her classes. Last thing I want to do is to take her home and run into _her_ again. Something I'm pretty bent on." Clawhauser nodded in agreement.

"If it's something that can be avoided from now on, I say take that route at all times. Last thing you would want is a repeat of events."

"And how. Still, I can only hope that Olivia is doing well."

"I'm sure she is. Even though I just met her, I could tell that she's a bright girl! Acing her tests, making friends, being a good student. Who knows, in time, she just become the next fox on the force. When she's older of course."

"...Yeah." a light chuckle slipping past his smirking lips, letting the idea run in his head at the thought of Olivia being a cop. Just like him. "When she's older. Pretty sure I'll still be here by then. Who knows, I may even have the Chief's position by then," A joke followed suit, earning a chuckle from Clawhauser. Nick shared his sentiments at the thought and offered one of his own. Just as he was about to move on to the next topic that was on his mind when a familiar voice they both knew had called out to them from behind, directing their attention towards the entrance. There stood a familiar gray bunny in her standard blue jumpsuit uniform waving ecstatically and showing off her standard morning smile.

"G'morning! Sorry I'm late!" Judy called out to them, quickly jogging over.

"Heeeeeey, there she is!" Nick kept his eyes on her form as she approached the desk, taking her place right by his side. "My smol but better half has arrived and now, we are whole once more. Glad you could make it, Darlin'."

"Sorry again, I had some stuff to take care of beforehand."

"It's fine, it's fine. Nick told me when he walked in. You're only…" Clawhauser quickly glanced at his wristwatch "5 minutes late." A feign gasp of shock left Nick's muzzle and Judy comically rolled her eyes at his 'overreaction'

"The famous and well known, Judy Hopps, late by a whole 5 minutes? Oh, Carrots, you disappoint me. I always pegged you being a stickler for promptness and timeliness, but here you are and whole five minutes of the day gone. Tsk tsk tsk, don't think that'll do well for your review." That response earned him a light elbow to his side and a chuckle.

"Yeah yeah. So I'm late by a measly 5 minutes, big deal. So long as we're in time for roll call, then it's all good, right?"

"Not the kind of response I was thinking of, but yeah, you could argue that. Still doesn't change the fact that you're still late."

A sigh left her lips as she decided to ignore his teasing. "Shuddup. So what were you guys talkin' about?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, just shooting the breeze with some guy talk. That's all."

"Guy talk you say," a hint of sarcasm in her voice as she replied. "sounds serious."

"Oh but it is, Carrots. Talking about masculine things and the like. Such topics are not meant for lady ears. I assure you, it was 100% cringe worthy, luckily you weren't here to listen." Judy chuckled once more and lightly elbowed him again.

"Well if that's the case, I thank you for sparing me from hearing such riveting _horrors_. You are indeed a true friend, Nicholas Wilde." Nick knew that she was playing around in her response, but continued to humor her a little longer to set the morning right for her.

"Anytime, Fluff. Anytime." A smirk was aimed her way, earning a lighthearted chuckle from the inside. What followed next was a slight squeal of admiration from the cheetah. His paws resting on his cheeks and his tail twitch in excitement. Even though it was daily, Clawhauser enjoyed these little moments that they publicly shared, finding them absolutely heart warming.

"Ohhh~ You two are just so **adorable**! How are you not a couple yet?" Judy looked off to the side with a light blush while Nick kept up his trademark face and simply shrugged in response.

"Ehhh, you know."

" 'Ehhh' isn't an answer! I mean seriously! You both have the perfect chemistry alongside Fangmeyer and Wolford! And that already says a lot. Not to mention that the two you two are basically always together, both on and off duty. Normally that would fall on grounds of being assigned new partners from the higher ups, but you two perform so well together! A lot better than the veterans here and in only the span of half a year no less!"

"What can I say?" he glanced at Judy then back to him, the smile never leaving his face. "We're good at what we do."

"Moderately speaking, of course." From the corner of his eyes, he could see that an amount of animals were all heading towards the room towards the conference rooms that down the hall from where the three of them stood which was odd. Roll Call didn't start for another hour, giving everyone on the day shift a chance to get in on time, unless it was something very important. Normally Bogo would be the one to boom out the orders from the second floor, but not this time, it must've been something serious. Internally huffing at the turn of events, Clawhauser was a tad disappointed that he wasn't able to get more out of them, but knew that he would… eventually.

"Huh, looks like we're expected much sooner than usual. Must be something big if we're going in an hour early for RC. In that case, me and Carrots are gonna head on in. She's already 5 minutes late, don't want her to be late for this too." A light groan from beneath him could be heard and his smirking got a little wider.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" That simple question made Nick smirk a bit a wider for he knew that he had something on her.

"Nope and nope. 'Fraid not, Carrots. I make it my solemn duty to annoy you at least once a day. But don't worry, I won't tease you too much. I'm not _that_ cruel."

"Hmph, I'm sure you are." Her arms folded in reply "I'll hold you to that, Wilde."

"And the cuteness between the two of you continues, but alas, it looks like you were saved by roll call again. But just you two watch, I'm not labeled as the biggest gossip in this precinct for nothing. I will get that info out of the both of you, one way or another. Count on it."

"I'm sure you will, Spots. I'm sure you will, but that's gonna have to wait another day. Me and Carrots are gonna get going. Don't wanna be late, now would we?" Nick took the lead while Judy stayed behind just a little bit longer with Clawhauser.

"Ugh, that fox. He really knows how to get under my fur so easily. He's lucky that I find him handsome. Anyways, I'm gotta move, Benjamin. I'll talk with you more during lunch. Last thing I need is to give Nick more ammo against me." Clawhauser watched her sprint off in the direction that Nick and only sighed to himself, a smile clear on his face as he looked down to the sheet of paper before him. Reaching over, he took hold of a pen and made a quick little note to share with the others in the pool.

Chatter ran about the room as all the animals there took their respective seats alongside their partners, still a bit confused about the sudden meeting. They would've known to be in by 9 o'clock sharp, lest they wanted to face Bogo's wrath for tardiness. It wasn't the first time when they had to head in early, but at the most it was only by 30 minutes, no more no less. So for all of them to be here this soon must've meant something. All they had to do was wait on the Chief to make his entrance. Nick and Judy were looking around and listening in on them while keeping a conversation of their own about what was going on.

"Not every day we're call in this early. Something big must be going down."

"I'll say. Ben didn't even give us our daily reports folders. Whenever he doesn't…" A gasp left her lips. "That can mean only one thing…!" She turned her attention back to him and rested her paws on the table with a smile wide on her face. Nick didn't need to reply to that, for he knew that twinkle in her eyes. All he did was gently sigh and rested his head against his palm, a knowing smirk following. "You think we have another major case on our paws?"

"Mmmm, I wouldn't go so far as _major_ but If that face you're making is any indication, then maybe." his reply earned him a flush of pink from her.

"Wha- I don't make a face!"

"So the one you're making right now, doesn't count?"

"Of course not!" A chuckle was her reward.

"Carrots," He angled himself so the upper half of his body was facing her. "we've worked together for the last half year and I've picked on some of the things you do when something goes your way or just something good happens. Basically one of your tells, if you will."

"Tells?" she repeated, finding the word a bit odd when he said it.

"That's right, Tells, or in bunny terms, actions that show others how you're truly feeling. For example, Officer Grizzoli," Nick thumbed back towards the lion in the second row. "His mane tends to poof out whenever he's annoyed."

"Huh. Is that right." Judy replied, skeptical of his example.

"Don't believe me? Well, how about Francine?"

"What about her?"

"She tends to let her ears flap once when surprised and twice when she think of something devious. All basic tells really."

"Okay, so you can read animals with ease. What, that suddenly makes you a master at reading others?"

"'Course I am. Got 20 years experience to back up that claim. I even tend to read you sometimes, just for fun."

"Me?" she asked, surprise in her voice.

"Yep, your eyes tend to sparkle a bit when the very idea creeps its way into your brain, or anything really. If it means that the both of us will have fun, you'll go for it. Point is, once you make that face, I'll already know what you're thinking."

"Well, do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

"That I'm pulling your tail and trying to cleverly trick you into doing something and expect nothing in return?"

"Yes."

"Well Fluff, you thought wrong. I just like reading other animals, just for fun. Ya know, get all… psycho-analytical. " He finished by tapping her gently on her pink nose, feeling it wriggle under his touch. "That includes you as well." Judy pulled back and gave him a light punch shoulder, catching onto his humor.

"Ha ha. Very funny, Wilde."

"C'mon, you know you love me." Judy only smiled at his response scooted a little closer to his frame, attempting to snuggle him a bit without making it too obvious by her fellow officers nearby. Just as she was close enough to rest her head on his shoulder, The door on the side of all them had swung open, revealing their Captain with his usual scowl.

"Alright! Settle down you Animals!" His voice boomed into the conference room, bringing all speech to a screeching halt. Achieving what he wanted from his subordinates, the stern-faced water buffalo made his way over to the podium and took his place behind it, clipboard resting on the surface. Placing a hoof to his mouth, he let out an authoritative cough and began the morning routine. "Now that you're all here. Let's get things underway."

"Good morning to you too, Captain." Was Nick's reply, but Bogo only let out a sigh.

"Don't start, Wilde. Not now," His tone was even and deep, clearly not in the mood for his dealings. "It's too early for your bits. We've got a lot of ground to cover and little time to waste it on flapping our lips. So it would be in your best interest to refrain from side commentary unless you want to be on desk duty for the next 3 weeks."

"Mhm, 3 weeks of desk duty?" he inhales through clenched teeth. "Oooh. That won't do well for my daily intake of Vitamin D."

"Then you'd best keep that muzzle of yours shut."

"10-4, Captain."

"Hmph." Giving him one last glare, he turned his attention back to the board and began again. "Now, before Wilde so graciously interrupted me," Nick only shrugged his way, that smile never leaving his face. Bogo ignored it and continued. "Thanks to the efforts of ZSSPD and Officers Alvarez, Samson, Matthews and Collins, we were able to obtain new information and a potential lead on a drug cartel and his stomping grounds, but we'll focus on that at a later date. For now, we'll focus on catching his two subordinates." Murmurs erupted throughout the room while Bogo reached into the stand and pulled out a stack of files, all containing documents inside. Leaving his post, he pulled out the sheets and handed them to the first four in the row where they handed them back behind them.

"Settle down, settle down. You can make comments after the briefing. Now we get to the heart of the matter, because of the info we have a lead where our two main targets are going to be." He walked over to the board that had their mug shot pinned at two locations in Sahara Square. They all placed their attention on the shots with various notes surrounding them. "As you can see, the two animals there are Calvin Antlerton and Howard Barkley; associates and subordinates to Johnny Atwater: one of the cartels, our main targets, but more on him later. Right now, our goal is to capture the duo and bring them in for interrogation about the trafficking as well as info about the cartel. For that, we along with the help of the ZSSPD, are going to apprehend them over the course of 24 hours starting today as of this hour."

"Today? As in, right now?" Judy asked out. "Captain, we're talking about a major operation. Wouldn't it be ideal to prepare over the course of at least two days?"

"Yes it would, Hopps, but unfortunately we don't have that time to spare."

"How so? We had a nearly week to get the info, surely two days is lenient enough."

"I'm aware, but we can't. Today is the only day we have, come tomorrow evening they plan on shipping out the contents to their buyers and that would mean another possible NightHowler case. Something that cannot and will not repeat." Judy allowed his words to set in and only nodded reply. "Which brings me back to my continuation. To apprehend them, two teams consisting of this unit and the ZSSPD will be stationed at their usual hangouts, starting with Team 1: Alvarez and Samson." The tiger and horse perked when they heard their last names called. "You two along with Officers Aniston and Hollis are charged with bringing in Calvin Antlerton from the Mystics Springs Oasis. Reports says that he tends to frequent the area for a total of 5 hours. Lucky for us, you two have time to before he arrives. Essentially, 4 hours to be exact."

All eyes fell on them and needless to say, they were feeling the heat of the unified staring. A few snickers were thrown their way for good measures, regardless, Bogo continued on. "And do try to be professional. I understand that they're attractive ladies, but keep in mind that you're on the job, not a date. Moving on," he aimed his attention towards the fox and bunny. "we now shift over to Team 2: Officers Hopps and Wilde, our very own finest." Nick was about to remark to that but Judy lightly nudged him silent.

"Come the interval before twenty-one hundred hours, you two shall be accompanied by officers; Smith and Southlow for your sting operation and will be stationed at the Palm Tree resort, charged with bringing in Barkly; known to be a gambler for card games, such as Poker, Baccarat and Lone Star-Hold'em. But the game that he frequents the most is the ever classic of card games; Blackjack." There was a slight murmur amongst them and once more Judy called out to Bogo.

"Blackjack. You said he a regular at it, how hasn't he been caught yet?" Judy asked. "I mean the ZSSPD would have been notified about his activities." Bogo was about to speak, but Nick beat him to it.

"C'mon Carrots," Nick spoke up this time, bringing attention to him. "Only a total amateur would make the mistake of overstaying their welcome when the board has gone cold."

"Gone cold?" She repeated, "What do you mean, Nick?"

"It's basic 101 knowledge when it comes to card games and EVERYONE knows it. Rule #1: you don't push your luck when Winter approaches."

"Winter? What kind of terminology is that?"

"It's just another term for a cold board. That aside, you said this guy plays with other tables containing card games, right Captain?"

"That I did."

"Hmmm." He cupped his chin in a thinking manner while, analyzing the picture. "Not only is he savvy about the game, he's also smart when it comes to cutting and running. Huh, and for this long without having a target placed on his head? Interesting."

"What exactly are you getting at, Wilde?" Even though his tone was neutral, his interest was peaked, but kept it hidden.

"It's nothin' Captain, just forming a little psychoanalyst in my head. Please continue." Bogo eyed the fox a little, finding his knowledge about cards a tad _eerie_ , to say the least. Shaking it off, he continued with the briefing.

"Moving on, you four will be tasked with bringing in Barkly. Just Wilde stated, He's a smart mammal that knows his way around tables, but that's how we'll get him. For that to happen, this is where our very own Fox comes into play. He will be our Ace." Bogo pointed out, as Nick perked his ears upright.

"Ace? Me, Captain?" He asked.

"Precisely what I said, Wilde. I've notice how you well you play cards with the officers in this station and every time, you always win, no matter who you challenge or how high the stakes are. Which is exactly why your uncanny card skills are perfect for this position. Your role for tonight is a Croupier tending the Blackjack table. Hope you don't mind the second paw smoke." Nick saw the faintest of smirks on his muzzle and chuckled in an amused manner.

"Hey, I grew up on the streets. I can handle a little respiratory contamination.

"Good answer," Bogo left off. Nick was about to add to that, but the sudden tug on his sleeve quickly earned his attention.

"Yes, Carrots? What's up?" he simply asked.

"A Croupier, what's that?" Judy directed her question at her partner, finding the word odd, but curious to know why he was given that position.

"Basically, it means that I'm the card dealer. I handle the distributions of bets and payouts. All simple matters, really. I do have the experience after." He ended with a wink.

"Great! That'll make our job much easier. What about me, Chief? What's my position for this ops?" Judy asked, eager to learn of her role. Bogo made a face when she asked and was at a loss for words, but that didn't deter Judy in the least, her smile was fixed on him. Just as he was about to force himself to answer, Nick jumped in and saved him the embarrassment.

"Now now, Carrots. Let our boss do his job. You'll find out soon enough, won't she, Captain."

"Um, yes. That's correct. You'll be notified of your position after all of this, Hopps. Understood?"

"Loud and clear, Chief!"

"Good. That makes things easier. Moving on to Officers Matthews and Collins, you two are charged with tailing the targets. Keep out of sight and remain at a distance. Keep dispatcher up to date with their whereabouts and report if they do anything outside of the ordinary, those two can not be allowed to slip past us. Last thing we want is for I.P.P to come down on us. With that being said, aside from the ops teams, the rest of you are to go about your usual patrol routes. You know the drill, find a disturbance, report it in and cuff 'em. Teams One and Two, you are officially on leave till the commence of the operations. Catching these two mammals is imperative; we stop them, we stop the shipment and we have more time to find the cartels. You all have your orders. Dismissed!"

As the entire room cleared out and took to the streets, only Judy, Nick and Bogo stayed behind and as expected when the last mammal left, Judy jumped at the chance to question Bogo again and find out her position on this.

"So Chief!" his attention on the bunny that addressed him. "The operation tonight, what's my position? Am I going in the field with Nick? I can be his wondering eyes while he handles the table." Judy started, but a huff left the buffalo's muzzle. "I'm pretty sure my acting will help put me in character."

"About that, Hopps."

"Speaking of which, we're also gonna need a disguise. Oh wait, I've never been to a casino before. Do casinos have a specific dress code?

"Hopps."

"I guess we can stop by and talk with the manager. We could even pinpoint ideal camera spots so we'll be radioed at all times. Don't want him blending into the crowd, don't we?"

"Hopps…!"

"But wait, wouldn't it spook him if we tried to make the arrest in public? Wouldn't it be better if we led him in a secluded spot and nab him there? That way, we avoid a public unrest and we achieve our goal and can get on with the whereabouts of the cartel-"

"Hopps!" Bogo's voice boomed over hers, bringing her chattering to a halt and then silence came to the three of them. Taking a moment to let the soundlessness sit for a bit, the cape buffalo took a breath and went about his next choice of words carefully. "Officer Hopps, listen. I know you're eager to be on the field with your partner, but."

"But what, Chief?" asked Judy, not liking where this was heading. Bogo could see how this was going to play out but continued anyways. The sooner he got it out, the sooner she would get over it.

"Wilde and Southlow are the ones going into the field. You and Smith are going to run surveillance and navigation from the background, feeding them information while keeping an eye on the target while keeping watch for any abnormals." he stated plainly and right to the point. Her expression was something he had expected to happen after what he said but kept his composure.

"What? Chief, you can't be serious! Please tell me you're kidding." Judy hoped that was the case, but a slow side to side shake of his head said otherwise.

"I'm afraid not, Lieutenant. That is your position this operation."

"Sir, are you telling me that I'm supposed to hang back while Nick out there?" Her response matched her feelings. The sudden news that she was being told to stand in the background while her partner was putting his neck out alongside someone from the ZSSPD that she didn't know did not sit well with Judy. She wanted to be out there, helping bring in the perp alongside him like they had done time and time again, only to be told that wasn't going to happen.

"I'm perfectly aware of the choices made, as well as the fact that you're upset."

"Of course I'm upset! Chief, you know how Nick and I operate, we are always together, that's how it's always been for the last half year! That's our whole dynamic, it's how we get our work done and put away criminals. Why would you split us up?"

"There is a reason why we have you working the cameras and relaying information." Bogo added, his still remaining calm in spite of her budding dissent.

"And what reason is that, Chief?" Judy questioned, feeling her anger nearly take over her body.

"It's because you're well known, Judy." This time, Nick was the one to speak up, putting in his two cents and instantly cooling down his lapine partner, bringing her attention to him, Her lavender eyes locking with his emerald ones in search of an answer.

"Well known? I mean yeah, sure I'm well known, but that shouldn't affect how I do my job or be out in the field. How would that be an issue now?" Her tone went from near anger to a more calm yet disappointed when asking him this. Nick warmly smiled while placing a paw right between her ears and onto her head.

"I can already tell what you're thinking and since that's the case, stop thinking it, Carrots." His tone was both a mix of gentle and firm that put her at ease as he kept up the direct eye contact, momentarily ignoring their boss. "Species has nothing to do with this. Both me and Chief, as well as everyone on the force, know that you're capable. But, for this ops, it's best that you remain in the back on this one.

"What!?" Her stare turned harsh. "How can you say that? Nick, I thought that _you_ of all Animals would-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Nick interrupted, stopping her from going on a rant. "Relax, Fluff, easy. I'm not making light of your abilities, believe that. But Chief is right about this one, you're best on the camera for this mission and there's a reason for that."

"What reason could that be, Wilde? What could possibly be the reason why I shouldn't go out there with you?" Nick could sense the hurt in her voice; but continued anyways.

"To make an explanation short and to the point, you're basically blacklisted in the criminal underworld Judy, hell, we both are. And let me add, we're going to a casino."

"So? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Too put it bluntly, you're a rabbit, Judy." Nick pointed out, earning an incredulous stare from his partner. She was speechless for a moment but continued.

"Of course I'm a bunny! Why should that affect how I do my job?"

"Therein lies the reason, Carrots. It's _because_ you're a bunny." A look of confusion darted across her face, but Nick followed up his statement. "That's why the Chief wants you behind the cameras this time."

"Okay…" she started, not following his logic. "But how would that-"

"Seriously, Hopps, think about it! Since when was a **bunny** , from the Burrows mind you, ever seen in an area where it's predominantly predators, let alone a somewhat shady area?" It took Judy a moment to really think about what he said and how her being a certain species not suited for an environment wouldn't help this time around before the idea dawned on her. But when it did, it turned out that he was right. When **had** a bunny from the Burrows ever gone to a casino?

"Seems like you understand now. You stick out more than you blend in, Carrots and that is going to spook our target. That's something we can't allow to happen." His voice was gentle while pointing out the facts, to which Judy listened attentively, soaking in all that he had to say about this as much as she didn't like being benched from something as important as this. But when she really thought about the details, both he and their boss had valid points when came to her being in that kind of place. Despite her time being on the force, not one of her colleagues had made mention of a bunny being in a casino, let alone one from the force.

"Yeah… I guess you're right. Now that I think about it, it's a pretty bad idea if I go in with you, wouldn't it?" she admitted, a sigh following afterward.

"That's what we were trying to tell ya, Fluff." A paw landed on her shoulder in comfort, bringing out a smile from the small bunny. Turning her attention back towards her captain, his arms folded while his gaze was cast down at her, her ears drooping as she looked off to the side and took a breath before continuing.

"My apologies, Chief. I allowed my emotions to get the better of me and I spoke out of turn and displayed an act of insubordination. I'll understand if you remove me from this operation" after having said her piece, the next thing she did was wait for the order to stand down and be benched from missions likes again for a good while and most likely be stuck with desk duty for the same amount of time.

But it never came. Instead, she was surprised with what he told her instead.

"Normally, such an act would warrant said action and you would be handling paper duty faster than you blink, but I'm not issuing it. Even though you'll be operating from the van, you will be charged with being Wilde's Navigator the entire time. You will be his eyes in the sky, keeping him informed." Bogo concluded. Judy was at a loss for words, to her surprise that she wasn't being taken off the case, but instead was supporting her partner from afar.

"Ya hear that, Carrots? You're still vital to this operation! Don't know why you thought you wouldn't be?" Nick spoke up, placing a paw on her shoulder. "And you'll be the one to keep me in the know. My cute little guardian angel, watching out for lil ol' me, I feel so loved. If anything, that's one hell of a position to have."

"Yeah, yeah, I guess it is. Guess I was worried for nothing, huh?"

"Well to give you credit, I don't blame you for feeling that way. But c'mon, Carrots, you should know that you ARE on the Chief's list of potentially great cops. Even I picked up on that my first day on the force. He's not gonna stiff you like that without a reason. If anything," Nick turned his attention to the buffalo and smirked. "He'd be in your face to make sure you understood."

"A crude way of putting, but yes. What Wilde says is true. If you were to be benched, you'd know it was coming a mile away before I even had to say it. Point being, you two are still partners for this, so put those worries to rest, Hopps. As for you, Wilde." Bogo turned his attention back to the fox.

"Yes, my Captain? What's up?" asked Nick.

"You needn't worry about looking for an outfit for tonight. I had Clawhauser make a call to the local tailor with all your measurements. A deposit has been put down in your name and scheduled for pick-up before tonight's operation. See to it that you receive the uniform before then."

"Really Chief? Telling others something so personal about me? And so soon? At least offer to treat a Fox to dinner first." Nick turned off to the side while his eyebrows slanted outwards while his eyes were lidded and aimed at the buffalo before them. Judy couldn't help but place a paw over her muzzle and snicker at her mate's mannerisms whereas Bogo simply groaned at the reply with a simple roll of the eyes.

"In any case, You can pick up your order from Hunters. Once that's done, return here to change attires and head out to rendezvous with Officers Smith and Southlow. You'll be fed further information upon the meetup. You both are on leave until then so use this time however you see fit; catch up on some lost sleep, talk a walk in the park, explore the other districts, whatever. Just be here on time." Bogo said his piece and left the room, leaving the two of them behind to collect their thoughts. With mugshots in paw, both small mammals pushed themselves off the chair and proceed towards the exit while taking the time to converse as they walked down the aisle.

"Well then," Nick started, gaining the bunny's attention. "That's one way to start the day. Shot the breeze with Benny-Boy, you being 5 minutes late which is a rarity all its own, getting told we have a mission and seeing a side of you that's pretty rare, Fluff." he listed off all the things that had come to pass. Judy on the other paw only groaned in a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment as her ears drooped behind her, paws landing on her face and sliding down as if dragged by the weight of shame.

"Ughhhhhh…!" was her starting remark, to which Nick only chortled in his throat. "Don't remind me. I can't believe I almost blew up at my commanding officer like that! I'm just lucky that he was understanding and didn't remove me from the ops right then and there."

"Uh… 'Almost'?"

"Okay, so I did blow up… a bit. Wouldn't you if you felt the same way?"

"I'll say. Not often I get to see you show that level dedication for a cause. And the fact that you were challenging Bogo? That was pretty savage, for a bunny."

"Cheese and Crackers, Nick! I nearly got into a shouting match with our boss and that's the **last** thing I wanted to happen, it would've cost me my job."

"Probably. But hey, look on the bright side, it didn't. I'm pretty sure you earned yourself some more respect points with him."

"Sure doesn't feel like I did."

"You bunnies, so impressionable," Nick leaned over into Judy's personal space and planted a quick, yet affectionate kiss square on her cheek with a tiny bit of force inwards, The action made her ears pop upright and a light blush tinted her face as she turned to see a smirking Nick pull back. "If it's any consolation, I respect you a little more now than before… well, to put it more accurately, I'm just adding more to the pool of respect I have for you."

"Is this your way of trying to cheer me up?"

"Mmm… more or less. So long as you're feeling better." He answered her with a neutral tone while shifting his eyes forward and away from her, but his smirk never left his face. Judy only offered one of her own and lightly tapped him on the arm which he chuckled at.

"Smooth answer, Slick. So," Just as they approached the door that led out, they stopped to face one another before leaving. "We have time until tonight, what are you gonna do until then?" She simply asked him, wanting to know his plans.

"Eh, nothing too crazy. Probably just gonna lay low and hang around with Fin for a while. Get a couple of popsicles in my system to loosen up and practice my bit. It's been awhile since I last put on my card dealer face, gotta make sure that I look my best for the main event. You gonna hang back here?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go over the files some more and run the pics through the database, see if I can dig up some more info. I'll text you an update if I find anything new, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan, Stan." Judy only rolled her eyes in response and did a little hop towards his cheek, kissing him there. Once she was back on the ground, she took a few steps forward before looking back at her partner, her gaze fixed on him in a hard and narrowed manner, but ultimately, he was unfazed by that, a smug smirk locked on his face. "Yes, Carrots?" Was his response, paw slipping into his pockets.

"Remember, the operation is tonight. Try to behave yourself until then, please?" Nick placed a paw over his chest while the other was in an upright position.

"You needn't worry, Carrots, I promise to be a good boy. Scout's Honor!"

"I'm so sure, Slick." Judy walked passed the door and out of the room, only to lean back in from the torso upwards. "In any case, I'll see you tonight, Hon." With a wave from the fox, she disappeared from his sight once more and down the hall.

"Yeah," He called out, knowing that she would hear him clearly. "See you tonight, Fluff." Now that Judy was gone, Nick pulled out his phone and tapped the message icon. Finding Finnick's contact, he began typing away with near perfect speed and accuracy as he addressed his message to his small friend, hoping that he was up and about. Probably not, but it never hurt to check.

SlickHustle: ' _Fiiinnniiiickkkk... Wakey wakey Eggs and Bakey, little guy~_ ' Nick smirked at his post and hit the send icon, waiting for the, likely very angry, response to get back to him. He guessed that the reply would contain at least one swear in the context that was aimed at him, something he was looking forward to. A few minutes passed as he walked down the hall and a light jingle sounded on his phone, pausing his movement. He pulled out his phone again to see that a message was blinking in the top right corner of the screen over the picture of Judy and himself together. Tapping on the icon, the screen changed to that of a text message and Nick saw the handle on the top screen and a small chortle rumbled in his throat. For it read:

FaceBitez: _Nick Fuckin' Wilde. You got a lot of balls to wake me up THIS early._ To which he replied with:

SlickHustle: _G'morning to you too, Sunshine. I trust you had a restful night._

FaceBitez: _If by restful, you mean: Exhausted and overworked, then yeah, slept like a goddamn kit._ Nick could tell that Finnick was up and about now that his texts were coming back faster, which made things easier on his part.

SlickHustle: _Yeah, you're just oozing sunlight, I can tell. And I didn't need my sunglasses this time._

FaceBitez: _Really, *Mam? This how we gonna start off?_

SlickHustle: _This is how we always start off, it's our thing. 'Sides, you're the one baring his fangs, not me. I just woke you up to say hello. Ya know you could be a little nicer about it._

FaceBitez: _Blow me._

SlickHustle: _Only if you buy me dinner first ;)_

FaceBitez: _You and your goddamn smarmy-ass remarks, figures._

SlickHustle: _I wouldn't go so far as 'Smarmy' per se. More along the lines of banter flavored._

There was a brief delay in the chain as Nick waited on the next text to appear, and he took this chance to exit out into the main hall just before crossing paths with the chubby cheetah at the front desk. A ding rang and Nick looked down at his phone, reading the message: _So, you gotta reason for waking me up? If not, I'm takin' my ass back to sleep._

SlickHustle: _Indeed I do! You still have that loaded deck? The one from our hustling days?_ After hitting send, there was a brief pause in the chain before continuing.

FaceBitez: _...Yeah, Ol' Sleight. Boxed up and primed as the day you left it._

SlickHustle: _Perfect! I'll be over in a bit to pick it up._ Finnick was obviously a little suspicious why Nick would all of a sudden need his deck after putting it away all this time.

FaceBitez: _Why you askin me this Wilde? You planning another hustle, after going clean?_ Nick could see that Finnick was skeptic of reason as to why he wanted that deck of cards back. He was quick to respond with reason so that he didn't get the wrong idea.

SlickHustle: _No, it ain't for hustlin'. I'm a clean fox now, I don't do that anymore. As for why I need it without spilling too much details, I'm gonna use that deck for tonight. Sting Ops to catch a guy that's wanted by the ZBI. From what I was briefed on, the guy's a pro at BlackJack. Never caught too._ That amount of info he was given definitely caught his attention and was quick to reply back.

FaceBitez: _Never gets caught and playing on a BlackJack "pro-level"?_

SlickHustle: _Yeah, pretty much what I said, yet you sound disappointed._

FaceBitez: ' _Course I'm disappointed, hench the quotation marks. The guy's no pro. If anything, he's Card Sharp, no doubt about it._

SlickHustle: _Yeah, I thought as much. And in a casino? That kind of level lands a pretty big target on your back._

FaceBitez: _Exactly. I've seen my fair share of Card Sharps and believe me, that kinda of shit lands you in a box. How your guy's been getting away with it, I'm both surprised and impressed he's still breathing air._

SlickHustle: _It's not often I hear you issue praise._

FaceBitez: _Not often the situation presents itself. Point being, if the cheeky fuck is as sleazy as you say he is and you're trying wrangle him in, you're gonna have a fuckload of a time against the guy. And in such instances where being fair won't fly, you fight slime with slime. You still know about the techniques I taught you?_

SlickHustle: _the Dirty Four? Yeah, I still do._

FaceBitez: _Good. So long as you keep that in mind, you'll get him, no problem. If anything, he's most likely using the basics of the basics. Card Marking scrub._

SlickHustle: _The simplest is always the most effective, isn't that what you taught me?_

FaceBitez: _Indeed I did. Anywho, get your tail over here and pick up your shit. I got a lot of stuff to do today and I don't aim to waste my last few hours of sleep on you._

SlickHustle: _Yeah, yeah. Just make sure you're decent this time. Last thing I wanna see is you walking around bare-bottomed again... But then again, you do have a pretty cute tush, though. :3_

FaceBitez: _FUCK YOU, WILDE!_

SlickHustle: _Love ya too, Finnick._

Nick chuckled at the rushed ending he was given and only stuffed his phone back into his pocket and walked past Clawhauser with a simple wave. The cheetah was quick to notice that Nick was on the move again and quickly called out to him which halted his steps.

"You heading out Nick? Without Judy?"

"Yeah, I'm gone for now. Gonna go home and freshen up, put my face on, go over my routine all in preparation for tonight. As for Judy, she's gonna stay behind and try to dig up some more info. Anything she can find that will help me out there is always good. So don't be surprised if you see her still hanging around." Nick replied in a casual manner as he started to walk away, paws slipping into his pocket.

"Alright then, I'll be sure to let Bogo know. See you tonight, Nick!" Clawhauser called out as he watched Nick make his way out of the door, to which he only waved one paw as he stepped out the door. He had plenty of time before the operation began, so a little practice would do him some good. Perhaps even develop a new technique that could be the deciding factor to catch the guy. With his destination in mind, Nick made his way over to his buddy's place to get what he need, but was sure that he wasn't gonna leave without some bruises as souvenirs.

 **Location: Zootopia Police Department Locker Room**

 **Time: 20:00 (One hour before the operation)**

Finishing up a nice long shower after spending most of the day out and about, Nick stood in front of a locker mirror and inspected his reflection while going over the details of his outfit, lucky that he was given the elongated version tonight, courtesy of Officer Delgato. Running the tip of his claw across his eyebrow as if to smooth over any loose ends that were hiding within, that smug look never leaving his face. Reaching into the locker, he pulled out a bottle of his favorite brand of cologne and spritzed the general areas around his face and chest while making sure to keep the distance fairly reasonable. The spray consisted of two shots and no more, not wanting to overpower the body wash and his natural scent, something he learned the hard way years prior in his late teens to early twenties.

He placed the bottle back into the locker and inspected his outfit one more time. His long-sleeved white dress shirt, complimented with black and gray armband just below the shoulders, was creaseless and perfectly tucked into his black slacks, pressed and crisped that accentuated his lower half and complimented his groomed orange and chocolate tipped tail with a leather black belt and gold clasped buckle completing the set. A standard tie consisting of both black and white in a fancy edge cross fashion was correctly positioned on his chest while the lower half of fabric was resting within the sleeveless black vest.

A light whistle left his lips as he eyed himself up and down a few time, going over his features.

"Nicholas Wilde; you devilish reynard, you~" a light tone of narcissism in his tone of voice as he placed his chin between his thumb and index digits, stroking the line of his jaw until the tips touched and repeated the action a few more times.

"You know how to clean up nicely, yes you do, yes you do indeed," he told himself while going over one last time, making sure that everything was properly in place. From his clean fancy clothes to his groomed orange colored fur, he wanted to make sure that everything went according to plan and looking perfect was part of that plan.

"And now," he reached into the locker and pulled the final piece that would complete his casino attire. "For the pièce de résistance." In between his fingers was a small ornament that was the logo and shape of the Palm Tree hotel. It looked a regular pin that the employees wore, but in the very center was a camera that was so tiny it was barely visible, but would be able to send back video feed to base without detection. Placing the pin on his right side of the vest, he looked one last time in the mirror and smile with himself. He was complete with the dress up part, now came the next part which would be more fun, for him anyways.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road! Time to teach an old dog a new trick." Reaching into the locker, he pulled out his special deck that he was planning to use for this operation. Something that would help him nail the target while making a mockery in the process. Closing the locker door with an audible clanking noise, Nick departed the ZPD locker room to meet up with Judy and from there they would head out to the RP.

In the main hall of the brightly lit ZPD, it was empty aside from those that were clocking in for their routinely night shift. While Judy sat on Clawhauser's desk, watching other animal go from point A to point B, she eagerly waited on Nick to show up so they could head out. She swung her feet back and forth as the heels made contact with the wood every time while keeping her eyes that led to the locker room. The Cheetah behind her was busy packing up for the night, but could easily hear the thumping sound and a light chuckle rumbled in his throat as he watched her from the corner of his eye.

"Nick sure is taking his time getting ready, huh?"

"Nah," Judy replied with a slight head turn to his direction, keeping her eyes on the hallway. "He always tends to do this when dressing for upcoming events."

"Oh?" The cheetah was curious about what she meant, but that didn't stop him from his current task. "Seems likes this isn't your first time experiencing it."

"Pretty much, yeah. You would think I'd be fed up with his antics, but I'm not. Theatrics is his forte, even when getting ready."

"Theatrics" Clawhauser repeated, "Is he always this dramatic?"

"Yeah. He, as said in his own words, has to put himself in this mindset where he's "living the character's life as if he were meant to play that role" or something of that similarity." A light chuckle leaving her lips as she thought about his past events where he would go that far.

"That definitely sounds like our Nick, no doubt. Give the male credit, when he acts, he really knows how to sell it."

"That's what we're counting on for the operation." She turned to face the cheetah fully, a determined look on her face. "Everything needs to fall into place so we can catch the guy, no slip-ups are allowed." Benjamin only nodded in reply to her statement, understanding the position that both she and Nick were in at the moment and offered the bunny his best.

"I can imagine, but I have faith that you guys will do just fine. You two are the best officers on Force since ever and I know that you'll get him. With you feeding Nick information and directing him while he does his usual spiel to distract the guy, you're guaranteed a successful apprehending. Knowing our crafty fox, he'll be so in character, you'd think that he was a whole different animal, like the actors in Howllywood!" Judy nodded in agreement when she thought back to all the times when Nick was perfectly in character and how easily he led her on with his games and not just her, but other Animals in the precinct were fooled by his talent. His acting was phenomenal and she knew he had the potential to be among the greatest male actors that existed today, possibly even the best. But as for why he never pursued a career in acting, she would never fully know until he decided to tell her. Either way, it just meant more world changing time with him.

"I'll say, he knows how to play the part very well, like a professional but incognito."

"With that amount of commitment, I'd be surprised if I didn't know any better. That level of acting is enough to be on par with *Leonardo Decatrio and that's saying a lot."

"If that's true, Benny Boy, then I'm honored," Both animals looked over to see that Nick had emerged from the locker room and was approaching them. His arms folded behind his back while a cocky smile was plastered perfectly on his face. "Placing me on the same level as Decatrio, I didn't know you thought so highly of me."

"And here comes the main male of the hour," a whistle left the cheetah's lips as he ran his eyes up and down the fox's visage, finding him entirely handsome in his temporary, yet spectacular croupier outfit. "O… M… Goodness…! Looking spiffy, Nicky."

"I'm glad you think so!" He did a single turn around back to his original position and took a bow with his forearm in front of his chest. He stood up right and did a little pose with his hands on his hips. "Took me over an hour to get this perfect. What about you, Carrots?" He turned his attention to the lightly blushing bunny and held his arms to show off his entire front. "You like what you see?"

Judy found herself internally stumbling as she was scrambling to find the right word for this very moment. She knew for a fact that Nick was _very_ handsome, no doubt there. Even when he was in his standard police uniform, thanks to the amount of blue it was, it only brought his face and his eyes. But looking at him now with a mix of both mostly black AND a white dress shirt with tiny bits of gold as accentuations boosted his appeal by a considerably large margin. "Well?" Nick grinned, lowering his arms. "I'm waiting, Fluff."

Just as she found herself and was about to answer, Clawhauser beat her to that and clapped once in approval. "Of course she does!" She looked over to the cheetah with a shocked look, but he continued anyways. "I mean look at you! All dressed up and clean. You clearly stole the words she wanted to say."

"Really now," he walked over to the bunny and cupped her chin with his paw, directing her attention back to him. "Is that true?" Judy's ears drooped down behind her and she glanced off to the side while the blush on her face deepened, giving Nick his answer. He simply chuckled and winked with the eye furthest from Benjamin, giving Judy a break. "Guess that answers that."

"I'll say. And to add," the chubby cheetah sniffed the air surrounding him, only to find that the pleasant scent was emanating from the fox nearby. It was a woody and aromatic smell that made him lowly purr in his throat and it made him feel like he was encased in the arms of an individual yet at the same time, the scent itself felt... distant, aloof, unusual, smoky, earthy, inky and haunting all wrapped up in one tightly knit stitching of both feelings and mootness. Even going so far as to describe it as **Complexed**. If he had to sum up the fragrance in two simple words, it would be; Beautifully Depressing, a rare combination. But at the same time, he found the aroma appealing in that mature sense which was a stark contrast to Nick's laid back personality, yet he made it work for him, somehow... "Nick that's a pretty specific choice of cologne you chose for tonight."

"Aha, so you've noticed, and a lot faster than Hopps here," Nick released her chin and directed his attention towards him. "That wonderful smell you both are smelling is none other than Encre Noire Pour Homme; product of *Lapique Fragrantica. Like it?" He asked them.

"Encre Noire? I'm surprised, Nick," Judy voiced out when she learned of the brand he was using. "That type of cologne is very hard to pull off. Not just any animal can wear it so easily."

"Well Carrots, _I_ don't count as any animal, now do I?" The cockiness in his voice was so easily detectable that Judy only rolled her eyes at his statement. "Besides, I AM going into a casino resort and it's imperative that I look like I belong there. Both look AND smell, mind you." Even though it bummed her out that she was on the sidelines, he was right when it came to these kinds of operations, blending in was always a vital part for success.

"I guess you're right. I know you'll bring the guy in, easy peasy. Still, wish I was going in with you." Nick chuckled affectionately and placed a paw on her head, gently petting between her ears while keeping that smirk on his muzzle.

"Worry not, Carrots. The next time we get an incognito job like this, I'll make sure you're there by my side the whole time in person."

"You promise?" she simply asked.

"Of course! When have I ever not come through for you?" He asked her. She tried to answer, but Nick had once again proven too quick for her. "Don't answer that. Besides," He pulled the cuff past his wrist to reveal a silver watch ticking away. "It's 8:05 pm. It's high time we got going, got a table with my name on it."

"Right!" She firmly nodded and hopped off the desk, landing onto the tiled floor and right next to Nick. "Alright Ben, we're off." They both took off from the main hall and headed towards the exit that led out to their destination.

"Good luck to you both! I'll see you both on Monday!" he called out to them while watching them go. He went back to packing up his things and was eager to get home. Just in time for the night shift to come in and take over his position. As he moved past while offering a greeting wave, a faint buzzing could be felt in his pocket and he reached into the pouch. Pulling out the cell, the screen flashed a message notification and he tapped the screen. The contents on the inside cause the cheetah to nodded his head as he made a mental note to notify Nick come Monday morning.

 **To Be Continued...**

 **Sidenotes**

 ***Lapique Fragrantica - A play on of the product Lalique Fragrantica, created by a bunny from the Burrows.**

 ***Leonardo Decatrio - A play on of the famous actor; Leonardo Decaprio**

 _ *****_ **Mam - A play on of the word Man. Since no humans exist in Zootopia, you get the idea.**


	4. Sleight of Paw

Strings and Knots

Chapter 4: Sleight of Paw

"I am a Fox of many talents."

-Nicholas P. Wilde

 **Location: Zootopia Monorail System Transit; Sahara Square Platform**

 **Time: 20:35 (Twentyfive minutes till the operation)**

It was a good half an hour on the monorail system and it was safe to say that the ride from the Metropolis platform to their current destination was a fairly interesting one to say the least. He could recall all the looks that both he and Judy were given along the ride and their reactions, as well as hers, was a joy to see. The fact that a well dressed fox was placed next to a casually dressed bunny at this hour of the evening did raise some eyebrows but he was pretty sure that cologne he was sporting had a bigger effect on most of them there. Some animals found it strange and dislikeable, some found it interesting and engaging and some just had mixed opinions. The ones that liked it, mostly females with the few males in the mix, tossed winks and meaningful side glances his way and he only met them with a smug smirk and a wave, appreciating the attention he was getting. The mixed expressions of jealousy and embarrassment from Judy was a nice bonus.

Stepping off the train and onto the platform, the duo made their way down the escalator to the fairly busy main road of the evening to see that their partners for the evening were standing outside of a parked van and they were conversing with one another, completely unaware of them. The one on the right was about a medium height that matched Nick, but only an inch higher. From the what the duo could see, thanks to the signified curves on the hips, chest and thighs, this animal was clearly female in comparison to the one next to her. The animal was much taller than all of them, but basically the same height as Delgato and clearly a male, but the only differences that were noticeable were the color of his fur; pure white with black strips and icy blue eyes.

"Looks like we found our partners for the night." Judy assumed as she glanced over the two of them.

"So it would seem. I mean, aside from me, look at the small next to him." Judy looked the canine over, seeing that she was in an attire similar to Nick's, albeit with the entire outfit itself on the more… provocative side. The uniform she was donning was a pure sleek nightly black full-bodied corset that hugged all the curves of her shapely body while the top half of her chest was exposed even though the cups were covering her rather large, sand colored mammary sets. Moving on, she was also sporting two white and gold buttoned cufflinks on her wrists and a frilly choker adorned perfectly around her neck with the Palm Tree logo in the center, matching his. Further downwards, her legs were encased in nylon stockings that ended at the tips of her toes that complimented the top half, completing the set perfectly, giving off that waitress theme she was rocking. "And it would seem that I'm not the only one who dressed to impress this evening." Nick pointed out while glancing her over as well, smirking approvingly.

Judy made a face of annoyance when Nick complimented her appearance, not being able to help feel a tad bit of jealous at his words. She was quick to play it off and squashed it down, refusing to let it be an issue and directed all her attention on the mission ahead of them.

"You say that about everyone you work with, Slick," Judy replied while casting him a side glance.

"Of course I do, because I know it's true. I know you think so too." He lightly flicked the tip of her ear and smugly grinned down to the bunny. Judy only rolled her eyes and reached up, swatting his paw away as she took the first step to the duo.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever ya dumb fox. Let's just go greet our partners,"

"I agree. It'd be rather rude if we didn't introduce ourselves. That'd make us poor mannered, something I'm not fond of."

"Yes, because you're one to display good manners, Wilde." Her tone of voice joking and witty.

"I try my best."

The moment they were close enough to be within line of sight of the two animals before them, both the canine and tiger noticed them approaching and ended their conversation, turning their attention to the two animals approaching them. Judy was about to open her mouth and introduce the both of them, the canine beat her to it.

"Hold up a sec, you two," both the fox and rabbit heeded her words and stopped moving. "lemme get a good look at'cha" she looked them both over while making her observation, but Nick and Judy did as she said while they watched her. "Hm," she cupped her chin in observation. "Let's see, from what our Copshop briefed us," She started with Nick, sizing him up and down while looking him over and his choice of clothing. "We were to meet two distinct cobbers. One of 'em is a spunk fox with red fur, a smugmug grin that rivals a croc and dressed for the ops," She turned her attention over to Judy, inspecting her. "And he's accompanied by a bright eyed and orderly bunny in standard ZPD uniform with a face of real beaut. If I'm to guess this right, might you two be Wilde and Hopps?" she asked.

"Um…" Judy was a little thrown off by her manner of speaking, finding it odd to hear, but she quickly corrected herself when their titles were spoken. "...Yes! That's right!" she did the traditional salute. "I'm Lieutenant Judy Hopps, and my partner right here is Sergeant Nicholas Wilde." He offered a quick wave for his introduction. "We are from the Zootopia Police Department. An honor to be working with you." There was a brief moment of silence before a light chuckle left the canine's muzzle, amused by the bunny's prim and proper attitude. Judy was obviously surprised by the remark that she felt her cheeks heat up a bit, but before she could ask what was funny about her response, the canine didn't give her the chance.

"It's just as the reports said, Smith," she turned to the tiger and knowingly smirked. "She's a real ridgy-didge one, she is."

"Indeed," This time, the tiger was the one to speak up, confirming what he said. "It's nice to see a cop like her for a change. It's not often you meet a gung-ho police officer, let alone a bunny police officer. Then again, she IS the first official rabbit cop after all." he added.

"Too right, mate! That's something you don't see every day. Just our luck!" The canine continued on, that is until a light cough interrupted her.

"As riveting as it is to hear your impressions and opinions about my partner, wouldn't it be proper to introduce yourselves back?" Nick let go a cocky smirk when the tiger and canine caught themselves, quick to rectify that.

"Ah, apologizes, mates. Got a little carried away, I did. Allow me to introduce ourselves properly," She stepped back until she was beside the tiger once more. "This Bloke right here," She thumbed her digit into his side. "This be me mate and partner; Officer Xander Smith." He merely waved a paw, but she wasn't having that. "Go on ya Spunk, don't be modest." He only huffed at the pet name and did what was asked of him.

"Good evening to the both of you. I'm Xander Smith, just as I was introduced. A pleasure." Xander greeted humbly.

"What, that's it? A simple greeting?" she questioned him and all he did was shrug in response. "A pretty piss poor burl one if you ask me."

"We ARE on a job after all that starting soon. There's always afterward."

"Hm, I suppose. But don't go think you're off the hook with me." She rolled her eyes before turning back to Nick and Judy. "Hey, don't let his calm demeanour fool ya. This bastard is a real Dag off the clock, I'll tell ya that. As for the Sheila standing before you," she pointed a finger at herself and smirked with confidence. "I'm Ruby, Ruby Southlow. Pleased to meet ya!" she concluded with a wave of her paw, resting it on her tilted hips.

After the introduction, Judy was a little thrown off by the canine's fiery personality. She had met other animals that gave off the same impression like she did, but not with the amount of intensity like she did. As for her partner, he was of the calm and collected one of the duo, that much she got out the interaction, seeing as how placid his replies were. It was an interesting combination.

"The pleasure is all ours, Ruby." Nick did a little bow before the canine. "We look forward to working with you and Strips, over there." his glance falling on the tiger nearby.

"Well now, aren't you the smooth talker." her smirk matching his with ease.

"We're dressed for the evening, may as well act the part, right?"

"Fair point, mate."

"Speaking of which, I don't think I've even seen a canidae like you before. Too short to be a standard wolf and definitely not sly enough to be a fox. You from a different country?" Nick asked her directly. Judy was about to sharply rebuke him for being invasive but Ruby only waved a paw in his defense.

"I'm surprised. Not many Yanks pick up on that fact without me tell'em first."

'Yanks?' Judy thought while trying to process what she meant.

"Actually, it was your way of speaking that easily pointed it out. Your appearance also adds to that." Nick said as a matter-of-factly, earning a light chuckle from her.

"That's 'cause you're right, mate. I'm not native, I didn't grow up in the states like you two and Smith here."

"You're not from here? Where was your home growing up?" Judy asked this time. Ruby smirked her way and continued.

"I'm glad you asked, Sheila, I was just getting to that. You see, I'm a dingo. And we dingos ain't from the Yanks, mates. We're from the Never Never, where I spent my ankle biter days before moving here." Ruby concluded, leaving both animals perplexed by what she just said. Ruby could easily see that they were lost by what she just said a chortle followed. "Looks like I lost ya. No worries, you ain't the firsts. Smith here was like that the day we partnered up," She looked over to the tiger who still standing in the same pose. "totally confused and could not understand a single word I said to the point where we thought our partnership wouldn't work in the long run."

"It's true." the tiger piped up. "I was so lost that it got to the point where she made a makeshift book of Aussie euphemisms, just so I could understand half of what she was saying." Xander followed up while connecting his sight on hers. "I can tell you this, it REALLY helped."

"Were there ever any problems with communications during Beats or missions? Even when you're at your station?" Judy asked, finding herself wanting to know how they got around the impasse. From what she learned back in the academy, any form of a language barrier between two partners could prove dangerous, fatal even, if the two animals couldn't understand each other. Just as they were about to give their answers, an interrupting cough from Nick easily broke the conversation and brought their attention to him.

"As amazing as this communication between fellow officers is and how well it's going, I think it's high time we head out to our destination," He pointed their attention towards the large lit-up Palm Tree building that was sitting on the horizon from where they were standing. "We have a criminal to apprehend, my fellow Officers," Nick announced to the three of them.

"Red's right. That's enough earbashing for now, Cobbers. We can talk more on the way. Xander, you take the wheel," Ruby disappeared into the side of the van while Xander made his way into the driver's seat with the destination set in mind. The dingo popped her head out of the van and called to the two of them. "Hopps, you takes shotgun with Xander while Red, you jump in the back with me and I'll get us wired up. It's a bit cramped, though. Hope you don't mind." She disappeared back into the vehicle while both the fox and rabbit went to their stationed seats. Just as Nick placed one foot into the van, he could see that there was a total of ten monitors, four on top and four on the bottom with two fairly larger main screens on the far ends. Beneath the screens, there was a control panel with an array of buttons, switches, and knobs in various patterns. On the far end, Ruby was sitting in one of two swivel chairs and getting to work with setting herself up with the needed gear for tonight.

"You call this cramped?" Nick pointed out as he slid the van door closed behind him, making sure that his tail was out of the way. He plopped himself down onto the seat next to the dingo while continuing to inspect the rest of the interior. "There's plenty of room for me to move about."

"Oh, I know," she placed an earpiece into the inner depths of her ear, making sure that it was out of sight but not too far to reach it. "I meant it was a bit cramped for the Bloke driving us, mate." With her ear set up, she took hold of the next piece and worked it into her cufflink, making sure that it was perfectly secure within the small indention. "We were hoping to get a bigger one for him for tonight, but ah well. Make due with ya got."

"I see him fitting through the passageway is going to be a bit an issue as well, but what can one do?"

"Exactly, now sit down and lemme get you prepped. These things are hella sensitive."

As Ruby went about placing the items on Nick's person, he could feel Xander igniting the van and revved it to life. Pulling out of the parking lot, the vehicle was put in drive and they left the station, proceeding on to the main road that led to the Palm Tree resort.

 **Location: Palm Tree Resort; Sahara Square**

 **Time: 20:50 (Ten minutes till the Operation)**

Banking around a nearby corner leading into an alley away from the residents entering the hotel, the four officers secluded themselves to the shadows and out of the light, giving them perfect cover thanks to the van's matching black color scheme. They would be able to keep an eye out while conducting their goal. On the inside, Ruby had finished setting up what was needed and popped open the rear doors, stepping out into the night time air and rounded the side of the van, take in a good look of the resort. It was a bit of a walking distance, but nothing too difficult for the predators to handle.

"Here we are, Cobbers, the Palm Tree Resort," She scanned the area and could see that they had a bit of walk to get there, but nothing too challenging. "Not a Back of Bourke, but requires a bit footwork to get there.

"So long as I don't get my outfit dirty. I'm not a big fan of being tarnished before the fun begins." Nick replied while stepping out into the alley alongside ruby, just in time to watch her move a bit of way towards the entrance.

"Yeah, yeah. Less gripping and let's get the led out, Red." she called out to him while walking out of the alley. Back in the van, Nick watched as Xander finished turning on the panel, setting up the station. The screens blinked on and it showed eight sections of the casinos, one of them was where he was going to be placed for this mission.

"You heard the canine, Wilde. Get a move on." The tiger placed on the headset and directed his attention on the monitors, feeding some information to Ruby.

"Looks like it's my time to shine," he stepped out and turned to his partner that was adjusting the headset to her size. Nick couldn't help but find her attempts adorable. "Pay close attention, Carrots. You're about witness a professional in his element." Judy only rolled her eyes at his arrogance and kept her attention on the device in her lap.

"Whatever you say, Slick." Her tone neutral. "I'll be sure to take notes." She managed to get the item to match her size after a bit of tweaking. Nick didn't find that response a satisfactory answer and huffed a breath.

"Fluff," he called her pet name, pulling her focus to him. "Step out here for a minute. I wanna tell ya something."

"Now? Can't it wait? We have a job to do." she countered, but he didn't budge.

"Nope. Gotta say it now or it's gonna bug me all night. 'Sides, it won't take long, all I need is your undivided attention for a minute. Please?" He puckered his lips in a pouty manner in hopes that it would get her to agree. Judy let out a groan and caved to his request, knowing that the sooner he got it out, the better it would be for the both of them.

"Alright, alright. You can stop with the face already, geez." Judy placed the headset to the side and pushed herself out of the seat, making her way out of the van. "I'll be right back, Xander."

"Hurry back. I need you on the cameras with me." he kept his eyes on a screen while she left. Judy hopped out and landed next to Nick, standing patiently on the other side of the van.

"Alright. One; don't do the cute face again, only I can do that. And two; you have my attention, what do you need? Our target will be here in 10 minutes." Nick didn't answer. Instead, he placed a paw over the camera pin and leaned down to Judy's height. She was about to say something, but he only held up a finger on his lips, silently shushing the doe. Removing his finger he spoke in a tone so soft that only she would be able to hear.

"Listen, Carrots. Don't speak, just listen." he cupped her chin and angled it so their eyes were locked on to each other. A light tint of pink flashed on her face, but nodded in agreement. "I know we're on the job, but I just wanted to say that I'm counting on you for this. Let's show these guys why we make a good team." she only nodded once again matched his smile, mouthing the words 'dumb fox'. Just as Nick was about to reply to that, Ruby called out from a bit of ways down, pulling them from their little moment.

"Let's go, Red! We got a job to do!" The fox only let out a breath when he was called.

"That's my cue, fluff. Gotta go! But before I do," He smirked and brought his lips down to hers, engaging in a kiss with her that ended just as fast as it started. Though brief, it was enough to set off a little spark in the bunny and make her lean in for more, but was denied a second helping as he pulled away, a bit to her dismay. "Nothing like a little prerequisite mission kiss to get my head in the game~" He stood full height once again and departed from the van while Judy watched him leave with the dingo. Once he was gone from her view, she hopped back into the truck, pulling the doors closed, preparing to do her part. Walking out of the alley to see that Ruby was tapping her foot against the cool concrete, Nick only smirked as they began their walk towards the hotel.

"Bloody hell, Red. What took ya so long?"

"Oh, you know. Just giving my partner a little pep talk, help get her mind in the game if we're going to catch this guy."

"Pep talk, eh? Well so long as you two are on your game, it's all good, I suppose."

"Yeah, we both tend to give our 100%..." Nick paused for a moment and continued as a bit of snark came out of him. "well, Officer Hopps does, she usually has to motivate me to further than normal, not that I don't mind, of course, it's a nice feeling to have someone push me." From the earpiece, Nick could hear a light chuckle from his partner and in turn, he smirked away from the dingo.

"It would seem that you two are pretty close, closer than just cobbers," Ruby stated as they continued walking, gradually gaining ground towards the hotel with each step.

"Cobbers?" Nick repeated the term, finding it an odd thing to say. Ruby caught herself and quickly restated the word, knowing that he wasn't as up to date on her way of speaking like Xander did.

"Basically I said, friends."

"So cobbers is another term for friends? Looks like I should study up on my Australian lingo."

"It's basic stuff, really? Once you have the understanding and mannerisms, you can pretty much take decipher Aussie slang no problem."

"Is that right? I have been meaning to expand my language barrier, sound like it could be fun to do."

"It is! Tell ya what, Red," A paw landed on his shoulder and they both came to a temporary stop. Nick looked over to the dingo and she was simply winked his way. "When this whole little shindig is done and we tossed the little dipstick in the clink, how about you and Hopps join me and Xander for a couple of coldies? My treat. I know a few good bottle shops in the Sahara Square that sell top quality stuff. Whadda say?"

Nick pondered for a moment as a trim claw tapped his pursed lips in a thoughtful manner while he tried to translate her words. Since he was given enough context clues, it was a quick process stitching them together and he was quick to reply with an answer.

"Judging by the words "Coldies", "Bottle Shop", and "Quality stuff" You're offering to treat me and Hopps to some beers, correct?" He asked back and the Dingo gave quick nods.

"That I did. Red."

"Well, what kind of animals would we be to turn down such a gracious request like that? Sure, I say a treat is in order after work. Just to get this out of the way, my partner isn't one for beers or rum, says it too bitter. You know a few places that have wine or martinis included?"

"Martinis, Wine, Beer, Rum, even some of that fancy stuff from the far East. You name it, they have it."

"Is that right? So many choices, then again, I've always been one for exotic brands from time to time. I'll be sure to keep that in mind after the mission, now let's get a move on, the sooner we get this done, the better, I say." Nick concluded as they began moving forward, a little eager to try out this place Ruby talked about.

"Too right, Red. I just hope you and Hopps can hold your liquor as well as me and Xander."

"We'll see soon enough, that I promise you."

 **Location: Palm Tree Resort; The High Night Rollers**

 **Time: 21:00**

From out of the humid night and into the cool and breezy lobby of the hotel, Nick and Ruby were welcomed into Palm Tree Resort by two tall and well presented doormammals dressed in the same attire as them. Greeting and ushering the duo into the area while preparing to either welcome or see off other animals. Passing the entrance of the parted doors, both fox and dingo now stood in the center of the hotel while varying patrons of the evening, some dressed fancy while others were more casual about their attire, were swirling around them, be they coming or going within the area. To where, however, was totally unknown to the canines, but the patrons were the least of their concern at the moment. On Nick's end, he noticed that some residents were coming and going from the entrance that led down to the casino area of the hotel, more escorts were standing on the far end of the gateway and he stepped away from Ruby to read the sign above that said in bright yellow neon colors: High Night Rollers. Images of cards, chips, and drinks were also flashing alongside the sign.

"Quite the shindig this place is, ain't it, Red?" the dingo asked while looking around the area, taking in everything there was to see. She looked over to see that Nick was looking up at the sign and walked over to where he was and read the sign from end to end out loud. "The High Night Rollers, eh? I take it, this is the place. Pretty sinful lookin' title if you ask me, mate."

"You would think that would be the case from a surface level and the sign's color is perfect to that statement, I'll give it that, but alas, my canis sistren, we are merely standing before another gate," He pointed towards the curve that clearly led further down past the threshold of the hotel. "The true sin that we seek lies beyond the Gates of Sheol."

Ruby arched an eyebrow in reply. "Hm, cryptic shit and old tongues aside, Red, it sounds like you've been here before."

"Indeed I have. I sometimes come here with my buddy Finn, but mostly for the buffet with a bit of gambling on the side to complete the combo."

"Is that right, then you have a pretty good idea of the area, correct?"

"Well, I wouldn't say I know this place 'eyes-closed, paws tied behind my back' perfectly, but I do understand its workings better than most animals."

"Hey, that's good enough for me. Just means that we have better access to the choke points. Catching this dipstick will be a piece of piss!" Ruby clenched her fist in assurance, a look of confidence plastered on her face. Nick cocked his head in a confused manner at what she just said.

"Um, 'piece of piss'?" He repeated. Ruby chuckled in reply.

"Aussie term for easy, piece of cake."

"That's a rather roundabout way of saying it, I guess."

"When you grow up in the Never Never, you learn. When all this is done and we're drinking down rounds, I'll be sure to give you an Aussie handbook. Make the next time we pair up much easier."

As the duo stood atop of the stair preparing to head down, the manager was making his way up from the previous floor in a hurried manner. As he made his way up to them, both canines were able to get a good look at the male. He was a stocky looking badger but was clad in a traditional black business uniform, giving off a slim appearance. He was also wearing the resort pin that matched both of theirs right on the cusp of his upper right breast. He was the only one who was wearing a suit apart from the other employees, so it was easy to point him out.

"Ah, good. You've arrived," He acknowledged their presence and took the first forward, approaching them. Stopping with a little room between himself and two officers, he folded his arms behind his back and sized them up, proceeding to walk around, further scrutinizing the duo, starting with Nick then over to Ruby. Pleased with what he see, he nodded in affirmation and stepped back to his original position and spoke again. "I assume that you two are the "Employees" stationed here tonight?" He spoke in a low and burly commanding tone of voice. His eyes narrowed and focused as he kept his focus on them.

"That we are, Mr. Valduris. Officers' Southlow and Wilde, at your service." Ruby introduced with a slight bow. Nick simply raised a paw as a greeting.

"So you are," He sniffed, a nostril flared in reply. "although I'm surprised that it's just two of you."

"Nah, me and Ruby here are just the attackmammals for our target," Nick jumped in. "the others are backing us up from afar using the cameras that were set up."

"Yes, the cameras," Nick could hear a slight tone of annoyance the badger's voice and made the assumption that he had a dislike for them, but that was as far as he could toss his guess. "The sooner you capture him, the sooner you can remove them and I can return to running my business normally." Taking his eyes off them and stepping over to the escalator that was heading down, the badger waited on the both of them. "Come along, your stations and your patrons are waiting." He stepped onto the moving platform and was carried down along the way. Nick and Ruby were quick to follow him, joining along the ride.

"Sooo," Nick started as the three of them were escorted through the corridor, the shifting from a nice, family-friendly wholesome pigment to a more nightly, mischievous hue the deeper they went down, the glowing of the lamps on the wall adding to the effect. "May as well break the ice here. I'm going to say that you're not a big fan of surveillance cameras, Mr. Valduris? I heard that the installation was met with some resistance early today."

"That is correct." Mr. Valduris started, no hesitation in his burly voice. "A majority of my staff were against the very notion of having them set up, myself included." The badger kept his back towards them as they continued to descent.

"You too?" Nick questioned. "Sounds counterintuitive for business. Would you care to explain why?"

"Red," Ruby said in a hushed voice, preparing to rebuke him.

"Mr. Wilde," His voice hardened and he turned partially towards the fox, his expression matching his tone causing Nick to shudder internally. "If I am to assume that you're implying something about me and my workers, then you are severely incorrect." He turned full to face Nick and his glare, although his face was calm, sharpened.

"I wasn't implying anything, Sir." Nick kept his composure even when the staring bore into his being. He had been through worse in life, so a little glaring didn't bother him in the slightest. "I just find it odd that a business mammal such as yourself would be against aid the police in a criminal apprehension."

"If it meant losing the trust of my customers and employees, then I will not. We nocturnal mammals already have it rough topside during the day, so I provided a haven for them come the nightly hours." He turned away and faced forward once more and his arms folded behind his back. "Surely you, an individual of your kind as well as a member of the night, know what it is like to be looked upon wrongly for those things you cannot change."

"What you say is true, Mr. Valduris. I can attest to that, but I fail to see how that has anything to do with cameras."

"It's a simple matter really. When you're a nocturnal predator, you're looked upon differently. It doesn't help that being monitored by the ZPD is an added factor." There was a brief moment of silence before he continued. "Which is why built this haven for them, to give my follow night treadders a haven from the accusing and persecuting eyes of diurnal animals. I made it my mission for the last 30 years and I have spent those arduous, backbreaking years building this resort from the ground up. I only agreed to help because I refuse to have a drug trafficking riffrat leave a blemish on my work." He took a breath to calm himself.

"Now do you understand why I'm not fond of the idea of having the police survey my employees and patrons?"

"Indeed we do, Mr. Valduris. You made it quite clear." Ruby piped in, speaking on both her and Nick's behalf.

"Then the conversation ends here. Just make sure that you both escort him out of the hotel, without causing too much of a scene."

"Consider it done, Mr. Valduris. He won't get the chance to book it."

"See to it that he doesn't." He fell silent and the rest of the ride was quiet all the way until they reached their destination.

The moment they reached the end of the escalator, the trio was greeted by the vivid dazzling colorful lights, sounds of slot machines ring off to whoever was playing and various mammal walk about with cups upon of cups that were filled to the brim coin to be spent and along with those who are kissed by lady luck or those who shed tears when met with her misfortune. From the entrance of where they were standing, they looked upon the wall that ran around the perimeter wasn't a wall, but instead was glass, giving off that under the sea vibe in a contrast area of gambling. On the outside of the transparent wall, they could see that there was an array of many many many fish, ranging from big and small, fat and skinny, all the way to either exotic or ordinary, all swimming on the outside of the of the area. There were even a few broken down ships and other sea floor decoration for a more aesthetic appeal.

"We have arrived," Mr. Valduris stepped forward while Nick and Ruby looked on beyond the resort manager. "I welcome you both to The High Night Rollers." The dingo was amazed by what she saw far as she could whereas Nick only smirked as he stepped past the both of them and took a step within the area. He took a whiff of the casino atmosphere and let out a breath of familiarity as the memories of his days, back when he was a simple con-fox, ran throughout his mind.

"Ah," a smile graced his thin muzzle as he looked on into the gambling area. "The elegant scent of mass produced respiratory toxicity. How I missed thee," He ventured in a little further but didn't stray too far.

"Missed? You've been here before Mr. Wilde?" asked the badger, his eyes following the reynard.

"Of course I have. you never truly forget your first contamination." He answered with a smirk "If you could just point us to our stations, we can get started and get this guy."

"An ideal suggestion, Mr. Wilde. Now, if you both can follow me, I shall show you to your stations." The badger led the way while two canines followed closely behind. Nick brought his wrist up to his muzzle and spoke into the mic, relaying his position back to base.

"Foxtrot to Carrot Cake, come in Carrot Cake. Sierra and I have arrived on location. I repeat, Sierra and Foxtrot are on location. Over." Nick teased as he spoke to his partner waiting on her response. From inside the van while watching her partner and Southlow follow behind Mr. Valduris, Judy simply rolled her eyes at his usual antics and addressed him, even now when they were on the job.

["Nick, the standard NATO codename for me is Charlie, not Carrot Cake, we've been through this, Over."] she replied while watching their movement.

"Charlie? Nah, you're definitely not a Charlie. I met a Charlie once, but that's besides the point. I mean, I call you Carrots all the time, so I thought I'd go with something sweet for the mission." Nick replied to his partner, practically able to feel her smile from the other side of the microphone.

["As flattering as that is, we have a criminal to apprehend in case you forgot. Affectionate names can wait until afterwards."] Her tone was that of a playful one, trying to sound serious.

"I'm a fox of many talents, one of them is multitasking with names. You can't possibly expect me to keep them all to myself, do you?"

["Yes, yes I do."] her reply was a curt tone, but still laced with playful undertones. ["I expect you to stay on task for this ops."]

"You bunnies, always to the point but never any of the fun. Fiiiiine" He drawled out in 'defeat'. "I'll cut back on the names."

["Good. That's what I wanted to hear."] Judy replied in a pepped tone.

"But I'm still gonna call you carrot cake, though."

A slightly irritated groan could be heard on the other end of the earpiece, bringing a smug victorious smirk to his vulpine muzzle. ["Fine, Carrot cake, whatever. Just be sure to keep an eye out for Barkly."]

"Keeping an eye out is what I do best, Fluff."

["I'm so sure. Speaking of which, he should be there soon, how are you going to get him over to the table?"] asked Judy, curious as to how her partner would pull that off. Nick's smirk got wider as he formulated a plan in his head on how to reel him in. Since Howard liked to show off with 'luck' what better way than to make a little magic happen.

"Oho," Nick chuckled. " You don't need to worry about that, Fluff. Leave the performance to your truly. Just make sure that you keep an eye on me. Smith, keep an eye out for the perp and relay to Gem his location." Nick relayed to the tiger. Judy arched an eyebrow his way as the white tiger only nodded.

"Not sure what you hope to gain by showboating, but if gets his attention then, by all means, go for it. Just don't get too distracted, Wilde."

"No need for an echo, I already have a reminder." He simply replied.

It wasn't much of a walk, per se. The area was still big enough to be considered that way, but they were able to reach Nick station within a matter of seconds and already, there were patrons waiting on their croupier to make his appearance. It consisted a few mammals sitting on the outer rim of the table, either chatting with each other or simply staring off and watching others work the slots.

"And here we are, Mr. Wilde. Table number seven, the one that Mr. Barkley frequents when here. If you need a crash course on how the card distributor operates, there's a manual on the-" The badger started, but was quickly interrupted

"There's no need for that, Mr. Valduris." Nick stated, "I've seen how they operate, but the machine won't be needed, not against our target anyways. I got all that I need for him right here." he tapped his right pocket for confirmation.

"How do you mean?" was the reply, his tone was that of a confused one mixed with disbelief.

"See, that's the thing about our guy. He comes here so many time that he's most likely learned all the tools of the trades when it comes to learning the cards. When to fold, when to hit, when to stand, when to double down, when to split, when to take advantage of a "soft paw", when the board's hot and when it starts to cool down and most importantly, when to surrender. It goes without saying that he has plenty of experience when it comes to card counting. In fact, I'm willing to bet…" Nick had to stop himself for a moment when the realization of a pun was made, did he chuckle to himself a little.

"'Bet'. hehe, oh… in a casino. Gambling, hehe… Oh wow, I do cut myself up." He took a moment to let out a cough. "With the puns aside, I'm willing to bet that his so-called "luck" will run out against an actual mammal with more skilled paws working the deck. Namely mine, of course."

"Is that right? I fail to see how a machine, that can lower the possibilities of cheating mind you, wouldn't fare any better against an actual mammal."

"If you're that curious, feel free to stick around for a bit." Placing himself in front of the two mammals and with and arm extended above him, he took a deep bow with a paw over his stomach and a smug smirk graced his muzzle. "Putting on a show is what I do best."

Picking himself back up to full height and leaving the two behind, he walked his way around the counter while the eyes of the patrons were all locked him, analyzing him from top to bottom.

"Good evening, all," Nick spoke in a silky tone. They were surprised to see a fox, of all mammals, was working the table. Some even made a few snide remarks under their breath, but that didn't faze him in the slightest, in fact, he took it all in stride as he took his place behind the counter board and placed his paws on the board, relaxing his shoulders. With both paws resting beside the dealer's pool, Nick put on his best smug looking face as he analyzed the four patrons at the table consisting of a Lion, clearly male thanks to his suit and mane, a Leopardess in a silky navy blue one piece dress with the sleeves slitted from the top down exposing her shoulders and a thin petite cigarette pipe with smoky wispily drifting from the lit end, a Wombat in a simple shirt with jeans with a scowl on his face, and an Ocelot femme wearing a strapless dress that tightly covered her cleavage but had a nice little corsage resting on the upper left of her dress.

A couple of them leery and suspicious of him, something that he was going to change real fast.

"Care to make a wager?" he added in a patient tone, waiting on them to make the first move.

Back with the badger and dingo, Mr. Valduris let out a gruff huff as he watched the fox get started on the table before turning to Ruby.

"It would seem that your partner has things under control as far as I can see. Which brings me to you, Ms. Southlow."

"Yes sir, Mr. Valduris, what will you have me do?" Ruby asked the mammal before her.

"As you can see, we have a cocktail waitress on every table in this room." He motioned her to see that others females were dressed up like she was. "I'm having you assigned to the current table Mr. Wilde is running. You occasionally walk around and take orders for any type of drinks whenever patrons take a seat. Like your other co-workers, you take the order to the back and they'll do the rest." He pointed towards the far back wall with double swinging doors, various waitresses coming and going with either empty or filled glasses with alcohol.

"Sounds easy enough to me." Ruby replied with confidence.

"I should say so because you'll be weaving about the room while having to carry the drinks back and forth. I hope you perfected your balancing technique." A light chuckle rang about in his throat. "Any tips you make is yours to keep and be sure to keep an eye out if a patron keeps taking drink after drink, last thing I want is for a drunk to spit up bile on the floor, Capybara forbid, the board."

"I'll be sure to keep watch, Sir."

"Good, good. And as a just in case should Mr. Barkley elude you and Mr. Wilde, I'll assign two of my suits to assist you in his capture. Be sure to relay that to him." When the dingo nodded in agreement, a slight smile graced his visage thanks to their agreement. "Well then, off with you, there's work to be done. I wish you luck." Saying his piece, he turned away then vanished into the crowd. Taking this chance to relay the info, she spoke into the wrist cuff and reported the current situation as she walked past the table Nick was operating, flashed him a nod and made her way to the kitchen with the intent of getting started with her job.

"Xander, pretty sure you heard, but it looks like our mammalpower just upped twofold. We got some extra paws in catching Barkley."

["I'm not one for involving civvies in our job, but if it increases our chances in arresting him, then so be it. Go about your position and keep a low profile. Don't want to spook our target. Over."] The voice of her partner came through the earpiece as an instruction for her to follow.

"Will do. Over." making herself blend in, she started off with heading into the back where the kitchen was located so she could get an understanding of the orders as well as her equipment.

The standoff of silence between the mammals continued on for a while now but it came to an end when the feline was the first one to speak up out of all of them, the smug smirk on Nick's muzzle never faltered as a paw hovered over the chips, prepared to place the exact amount of whatever would be put down.

"Sure," He started, his voice gruff as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a 20, placing it on the table. "I'll bet this much, let's see what you got."

"Excellent, Sir. Let me hand you your chips and then we'll-" Just as paw landed on the top side of the bill, Nick was a little surprised when the Lion's paw swiftly landed back on the bill with a thump sound. He looked up to see that stern face glare holes into him.

"Keep in mind, I am watching you. So don't go trying anything funny, Fox." He finished, putting emphasis on the slur while growling lowly in an attempt to fluster the vulpine, but like an ice cube in a freezer on full blast during the summer days, Nick kept his cool headed demeanor regardless of the harsh glare he was getting.

"Duly noted, sir." Was his reply, shaking off the insult. The Lion let go of the bill with a 'hmp' sound and allowed the vulpine to proceed. Sliding the bill towards the chip deck, Nick pulled out two blue $10 marked chips and placed them in front of the lion while taking the bill and slipped it into the currency slot.

"Anyone else?" he asked the other three after a brief moment of silence, he took that as a no. Looks like he'll have to earn their trust. "No? Looks like it's just you and me for now, big guy."

"So it would seem." Taking hold of one chip, he placed it in the betting circle and that was Nick's cue. He pulled out two cards from the shoe on his first draw, one a 6 of Hearts and the other a 4 of Diamonds, bringing the total value to exactly 10. It was at this point that Nick drew two cards as the deal with only one of them face up and the down. The one facing up was a 10 of Spades while the other was faced down.

Thinking for a moment, the Lion extended his index and middle fingers and scratched beneath the hand he was given while saying the words "Hit me." Nick drew another card with a value 8 and placed above the player's hand, totaling it to 18. Placing his hand back to its original position he waited on him once more.

"You total is now 18, your Highness. " Nick remarked as the feline continued to think on his hand. Seeing that going any higher would be folly, he conceded and waved his paw a couple of times.

"Nah, can't do much more than this hand. I'm gonna stay." Nick nodded as he reached for the face down card and flipped it over. To both their surprise, the card value turned out to be a 5 of Clubs, causing the Dealer's Hand to default at 15.

"18 to 15, you win, your Highness." Nick commended while adding another $10 chip to the betting circle, making it now $20.

"Huh, that wasn't as bad as I thought." He replied while taking just one $10 chip and adding it to the other while leaving one in the betting circle. "Alright, let's go again."

"It would seem that I've earned your trust, Sir."

"Don't push your luck, Fox. That was just one round and there's plenty more chances to prove me wrong."

"Patients, your Highness, the night is still young after all." swiping the four cards off the table in an easy motion and placing them into the discard holder, he turned to the others and asked if they wanted in this round. "How about you three? Want in this time?" It was at this time that the Ocelot spoke up.

"Hm, since you didn't try to screw him over, I'll try my luck this round," She took out a $50 bill and slipped it across the board toward him while a wry smile and not so subtle wink followed. "only because you're pretty handsome~" There was slight bit of southern in her voice when she spoke and Nick could only chuckle while dipping into a slight bow, returning upright. It was a far cry from when she was eyeing daggers at him, but he didn't mind it, it just made his job a little easier.

"Why Ma'am, you flatter me. Not often I hear that from other mammals."

"Well, that's quite a shame, really. For a fox, you're rather easy on the eyes, if I do say so myself."

"Oh stop it, you're going to make me blush," A paw rested on his chest while he looked off to the side for dramatic effect. "And that would be unprofessional of me. For I do prefer to keep business and pleasure separate."

"I don't know, you look like the type mammal that can mix both and still get away scot-free."

"I am a fox of many talents, Ma'am."

["Stay **focused** , Foxtrot."] Judy's voice rung out from the piece in his ear, clearly annoyed by his antics. ["Incase you forgot, we're on the job."] Nick internally chuckled as he placed his eyes back on them.

"Now then, we have two betting paws. What about you two? Would you like to try your luck or sit out another round?" It was at this time, the Leopardess spoke up as she took a single inhale of her piped cigarette and let go of the contents in a wispy exhale from her puckered lips and aiming the exhaled smog towards Nick, only to have it billow out and fade into collective toxic laced aether around them.

"If I must," she stated while reaching into her open blouse. Pulling out a single $20 from her cleavage, she slides it onto the table in front of Nick and waited on him to deal her hand and chips, the slit-pupiled feline keeping her eyes coldly locked onto him. "I am also in."

"Welcome aboard, Madam."

"Is like lion says," another puff and exhale of smoke "No tricks, *лисица."

She managed to make him shiver a bit internally, thanks to her thick *Russky accent, but he held it together and simply nodded, not one to be fazed by an intimidation tactic. "And that's three for three, what about you, Sir?" He directed his question at the Wombat. A groan of defeat left his lips as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a $10.

"Ah hell, if these three buggers are poolin', I might as well toss my hat into the ring," He placed the bill on the board before Nick. "I'm in."

"Wonderful!" A clap of his paws sounded as he now had their attention right where he wanted them. "All bets have been placed." Taking the money and slipping the currency into the cash slot, he drew the mammals their cards and placed them perfectly above their betting chips. Rested his paws beside the betting pool he offered his best and professional smirk while waiting on their calls. "Now then, Let us begin."

{-}

Meanwhile in the Van…

{-}

From the other end of the monitor screens, Both Judy and Xander observed their partners in action while keeping an eye out for the target. Just as Nick said earlier, he truly was a professional on the floor, even if it was all an act. Ruby went about her tasks while taking orders from the patrons whenever she came nearby without many problems. Things were progressing rather smoothly, but as time wore on, Howard was a no show. Knowing that fact did little to stop her foot from thumping under the control panel which didn't go unnoticed either

"Lieutenant Hopps," Xander started off, managing to get Judy's attention.

"Hm? What is it, Sergeant Smith?" Was her reply, even though she kept her eyes glued to the screens

"I'm not one to be a stickler in this situation and forgive me if I come across as crass, but you've been tapping the floor for the last thirty minutes now, and frankly, it's become rather vexing." Her eyes widened a little at the fact that she had been bothering him with one of her quarks.

"Sorry, Smith. Bunny habit of mine. Didn't mean to disturb you."

"I take it that this happens when you're irritated about something?" He guessed while adjusting a few knobs on the panel to boost the hearing for himself.

"Pretty much. I mean, it's literally been half an hour and no sign of the target! The report said that he was supposed to be here 9:00 pm. Sharp. And yet, nothing." She let out a drawled groan while leaning back into the seat after taking off her headset and setting it down. Xander only nodded slightly while taking his eyes off the monitor.

"I will admit, it's rather dull to simply sit here and wait on him. At least our partners are keeping busy." He thumbed to the screen, showing the Wombat throw his paws up in frustration. "Looks like Lady Luck frowned on him tonight."

"If only the perp would show up, then we can let them know and plan our next move. But as you can see, no perp." Her paws landed on her face and dragged down in an exaggerated manner while a long drawn out groan left her muzzle. "This is so boring!"

"If you can't handle simple surveillance missions, I don't know how you manage stakeouts and those take hours just to keep attention to." Xander replied, shifting his gaze over to another monitor.

"It's not the same, Smith. When I do stakeouts, I have my partner to keep me entertained for the long hours. Just sitting here while watching him do all the work, doesn't work for me." Judy admitted. Xander took that into account with a simple nod.

"So you're the kind of cop that likes to be out and about on the field? You sound just like Ruby."

"I do?" was her simple question.

Smith chuckled again while addressing her. "That's correct. Like you, Ruby isn't one to sit still. It's always go go go with her, never taking a chance to pause, which tends to be a headache for me from time to time." A smirk appeared on the lapine's muzzle while side-glancing the tiger.

"She knows that Justice never sleeps or takes a break. If you see something wrong, you make it right."

"That's true, I will admit, but taking moment to stop and process the situations rather than just running in head first also helps. Take Sergeant Wilde for example," he directed her attention back to monitor, showing how relaxed he looked while dealing with those four on the opposite end of the board. "Look at how relaxed he is right now. Poise, upright, calm and collected. Not showing the slightest bit of tenseness or edge. The behaviour he is showing for this job is a paramount example that patients is needed."

"True. Nick has always been one to think and act rationally, even under a certain amount of pressure."

"Indeed he does, I don't know about you, but the glaring that snow leopard was giving him. I felt chills run down my spine. Wilde? It was impressive how he didn't even flinch."

"That's my partner, he isn't one to scary easy unless it's something really bad... I don't know Xander, I hear what you're saying about being patient, I really am. I just want to catch the bad guy and put him away before he and his other goons can do harm to the general public, you know? I really do love this city and I don't want anything bad to happen to it, like a repeat of the Night Howlers."

"And we will get him. Our reports of Howard's activities has never been wrong before, why would they be wrong now? Granted, there's always a chance, but don't focus on that, focus on keeping an eye out for him and relay that to Wilde, it's all we can do right now."

"Got it!" Reaching for her headset, she placed it back where it was and went back to monitoring Nick from afar, the entire, she admired how professional he was playing his part, granted he still showed that impish side from time to time, but was a joy to watch how he acted behind the board, his smug smirk never wavering.

"It's been quite for the last 30 minutes. Anything on the ground, Ruby?" Xander spoke into the headset mic, turning to one of the camera, seeing his partner making her way back to the table Nick was working, a small board of drink on paw.

{"Negative,"} She halted her movements and spoke into her cuff mic while looking around for any sign of the target. {"Things are pretty calm on our end. What about you, mate? The camera picked up anything?"}

"Negative as well, no sign of Barkley yet. Keep going about your role, Hopps and I will keep you and Wilde posted."

{"Roger that, over."} Xander watched while she stepped over to the table and handed the patrons their drinks. Once served she remained on the edge of the table to watch him work his magic.

"It would seem that we're still playing the waiting game a little longer."

"As much as I dislike remaining still, we really don't have another choice now do we?"

"Hang in there, Hopps. He will show, sooner or later."

A good 20 minutes for the duo in the van had passed by and the both of them were idly sitting around as they watched the cameras. Judy would occasionally shift over to Nick and he was still putting on his act while Ruby took to the patrons and went to retrieve their new order of drinks. It was now 9:50 and STILL no sign of the culprit. The anxiety was starting to show on Judy while Xander, still wearing his headset to listen out as a just in case, was now reading a small little book to keep himself grounded. She was starting to get the sense that the information they were given was wrong and with a gruntled sound of discontent, she slouched into her seat and again her paws came up to her face and she worked circles into her cheeks. Her display of annoyance didn't go unnoticed by Xander either.

"Patients, Hopps. These cameras were made to catch sounds from everywhere. Just leave them on and we're bound to hear something. With ears like yours, I'm confident you'll be the first one out of the both of us." His voice calm as he effortlessly turned the page, proceeding to read the print from the top all the way down.

"I'm starting to think, Howard might not even show up tonight. Bogo's gonna skin me a new one if we come back empty pawed…"

"Now now, none of that. That's quitter's talk, Lieutenant."

"It's been 50 minutes and still no sign of him!"

"As annoying as it is, we have to remain on standby. But I can sympathize with you, sitting here is starting to take a bit of a toll on me." The tiger leaned back as best he could in the cramped van, sticking his legs out in an attempt to stretch out.

"Nice to see that you can feel my pain as well."

"Indeed I can, to a certain extent. Playing the waiting game has its merits and hardened me against the ever creeping feeling of boredom. Anyways, just be patient, Lieutenant. I know that Howard will show up this night. Being antsy and getting worked up won't -" He glanced from his book to one of the monitors and to his surprise, there was a small crowd at the far end of the casino, right at the entrance and from the midst of it, there he was.

Howard Barkley had finally arrived.

He was dressed in a rather chintzy blazer that clashed horribly his fur from the waist up. The sleeves were rolled up over his forearms and the dress shirt underneath was just as bad, proving to be a terrible match for the awful blazer. A gaudy gold necklace hung loosely from his neck and a simple watch was snug perfectly on his right wrist. From the waist down, he, _at least,_ had the decency to match with the top, but it still didn't do much for his black and brown coat. He was sporting two rings on both digits for each paw and a dull studded earring on his left bite marked ear. Hanging from his muzzle, he had one of those old fashioned cigars that further added to his disappeal.

To sum up the canine strutting about while surrounded by bimbo groupies, he was a walking mess and had a horrid sense of fashion.

"Well, speak of the devil,"

"Who, Nick?" She looked over to see that his book was now closed and he now placed it off to the side, turning his body around to fully, facing the monitors while pointing towards the camera.

"Howard just walked in."

"What?!" Judy perked while sitting upright, reaching over to her headset and placed it back. Xander directed her attention to the screen he was on. "When did he get here," She took a moment to look him over and made a disgusted face. "And WHAT in Capybara's name is he wearing?!"

"Apparently something that shouldn't see the light of day or be embraced the grasp of night. Regardless, our target is here. Let Wilde and Ruby know that, while I get the camera motions started." Xander ordered as he ran paws across the console board, flipping a series of buttons.

"I'm on it." Judy adjusted the mic so it was now placed before her mouth as she relayed the information to the officers on the ground, glad to finally be able to start on her job after 50 minutes of pure boredom.

["Southlow. Come in, Southlow. Over."] Ruby could hear Judy's voice from her ears and she turned away from the table and spoke into the mic in her cuff, making sure that the betting party were focused on Nick and not her.

"I heard it all, Lieutenant, so did Wilde. And not a moment too soon. Over" Ruby replied while keeping an eye out, even though she couldn't see him yet.

["Right? But no time for small talk. Barkley's in the vicinity and currently walking around. Wilde needs to clear the board. We need to have him alone so he can't sneak away and try to blend in with the rest… although I don't think the blending in is an option, not with what he's wearing… Over."]

"Is his sense of style really that bad? Over"

["Trust me, you'll know when you see him. Now, the mission has officially started. Get to it, Southlow."]

"Piece of piss, Lieutenant. I'm on it. Over and out." she faced the board once again, seeing that Nick was engaged in a conversation with the patrons.

"So, Madam, you aren't a fan of Zootopia's Tundra Town?" Nick directed his question towards the snow leopard, since one of the betters brought up her accent and how she was living in the colder regions of the city.

"Do not be mistaken, Лиса. Is like I say to comrade Kozlov," the snow leopard took another inhale of her pipe and lightly exhaled the contents into the air once more. "Tundra Town is nice, is very lovely for it reminds me of Motherland when I was but малышка growing up. But I will always prefer cold embrace of Mother Russky. Is truly genuine compared to Tundra Town. You should plan trip there when given chance."

"Hmm, even though I have a winter coat, I prefer the warmer weather. Still, if Russky is as you say it is, I'll be sure to plan a trip there one day."

"Is well worth trip, I promise." Just as Nick was about to engage in another conversation, Ruby stepped into his personal space with a tap on the shoulder. Having his attention, he looked over to her and she leaned in, placing her muzzle near his ear, the dingo whispered so only he would hear.

'Red, Barkley's walking around. Clear the table while I get the suits in position.'

Pulling away, Nick nodded in agreement while she walked off to get ready on her end. As she walked off, Nick placed the winnings of all four in the betting circle for they had been the house. "Sorry about that, all. My co-worker just wanted me to let you know that she has something to take care of and will be back shortly. So for the time being, no drinks." He took away the cards and placed them in the discard tray and placed their winnings in the betting circle.

"I hope it's nothing too serious. Sweet gal, that one." The Wombat chimed in, contemplating on whether to bet after getting a decent amount of his win. "Now I'm not one to claim that he knows there could be something there between folk, but shoot, you two talked like you were pretty close. You ever thought of asking the girl out?"

"As attractive as she is, we're both co-workers during our shifts and friends outside of the workplace. Nothing more, nothing else."

"Soooo basically, what you're saying is that you're single?" The Ocelot asked this time, her eyes sparkling like the lights of the casino as the words passed her lips, her tail upright and started swaying in a coquettish manner. Nick could only smirk deviously on the outside but on the inside, he felt a little bad that she making passes his way, knowing that they wouldn't work. Just as he was about to give his answer, the sound of a group of animals could be heard nearby and the five of them heard the name Howard slip from one of them. Nick knew that it was time to get things rolling, but the lion could only groan out his annoyance and disapproval.

"Aw hell, here comes Howard. Come on everyone, let's clear out." He said while placing his winnings into a back and pushed himself away from the table. Likewise, the others did the same and prepared to depart.

"Aw, leaving so soon? After a couple of dozen rounds? I thought we had a real connection." He couldn't resist the urge to tease them, even if it was a little bit crass.

"And hang around with that guy? No thanks." replied the lion, a quick shake of his head following his confirmation to leave as soon as possible.

"Everyone who comes here knows just how dangerous Howard is." Hopping out of the seat he was just in, the Wombat looked toward Nick and showed a concerned look. "He isn't called the Blessing Thief for nothing, and with the small amount of luck that I have, I'd rather not have it stolen by that mammal, so before that happens, I'm taking off." He was the first to take off but not with offering a small smirk and a bit of complements first. "Gotta admit, though. For a Fox, you ain't so bad. Here's to hoping I run into ya again sometime."

Nick felt his chest swell with a bit of pride when the Wombat regarded him as an acquaintance of sorts while watching him walk off to other parts of the place. He noticed that the lion was now looking at him but the hostility was gone. Granted there was a bit a skepticism but it was on the non-threatening side. "To be honest, I thought I was going to have a bad time the moment I saw you walk up to the board, but it looks like you proved me wrong, for the most part.

"I try my best." Was Nick's reply, short and simple and that earned a low chuckle from the tall feline.

"Hopefully you keep up that mindset and maybe, just maybe, I might be able to regard you as someone to be sociable with."

"What? Not as a friend?"

"With the passing of time, perhaps we'll reach that point. But for now, acquaintance is more than acceptable."

"Your words are most kind, your Highness."

"See you around, Fox." Taking his leave, the lion said his piece and departed the area to parts unknown. As expected, the remaining two had the same idea and prepared their departure too. The Snow leopardess spoke this time around and a smile was cast upon her muzzle, a few sharp teeth showing.

"You not bad, лиса. Not bad at all. Though our meeting was short, I will take my leave and tell Kozlov I may have met possible new comrade. *до скорого." And with a turn, she too had left, now leaving only the Ocelot with him. Needless to say, she still had that playful smile going on.

"And then there were two, soon to become one. It's a shame, I was really having fun too." she replied, a bit of a pout on her face.

"Well, you know what they say. Nothing lasts forever." Nick could only shrug in understanding. The Ocelot nodded in agreement as another breath left her lips.

"True. They say savor every moment like they could be your last, words to live by. Which got me thinking," She reached into her back and pulled out a little notebook along with a pen. Flipping the cover open and placed the uncapped instrument against the blank page and scribbled some down with precision and speed that could rival someone who wrote checks. Tossing the pen back into her bag and tearing out the page, she slipped it across the board and he took hold of the paper while she pulled away, her smile coming back. "So, how about you and I make more moments like this one, hm~?"

Nick brought the sheet within range of his sight to see that Ocelot was named Ava and her digits were written down and a little drawn heart was on the very end. He could see that she was set on trying to hook up with him, and he was flattered to be hit on by another Animal of a different species, but he wasn't having it. He already had someone he was perfectly committed to.

"Ava." He started while folding up the paper, but not relinquishing it so easily. "As flattered as I am that you find me attractive, I am a happily spoken for fox, and I'm looking forward to finishing my shift here so I can get home in time for scheduled cuddles. I'm going to have to pass on your invitation for moment makings." He could see that she was crestfallen thanks to her ears and tail drooping down, her smile slowly disappearing.

"Oh... " Ava's voice was now low as it dawned on her that she would be going home alone that night. "Is that so," she tried not let her emotions get the better of her.

"That is how it must be," Nick confirmed. The ocelot could only nod sadly and was about to push off the chair, but not before Nick stopped her with his next set of words. "However,"

"However?"

"I actually have a friend who's in need of a lady friend. Perhaps you can be the one to help him out?" Her ears perked up at the mention of him having a friend in mind and she was quick to nod at that.

"Really, if you're recommending him, than I suppose I can try my luck. Is he a fox?" Ava asked in a hopeful tone of voice to which Nick only replied.

"He's a fennec fox, but a fox nonetheless."

"Wonderful, I was hoping he would be, since you mentioned that he was a friend of yours. What's his personality like?"

"To sum up the outside, Abrasive. Plain and simple, but don't let that fool you. Deep down, he actually very caring. All you need are the right words and a little convincing, a little bit of the batting of the eyes and he'll offer you dinner." Ava blushed a tad as she was told on how to capture his heart and her paws cupped her cheeks.

"As flattering as that is, I'm the kind the female who prefers to have dessert first and then wine and dine second." She casted Nick a knowing look and her smirk widened a bit and he felt a chuckle leave him.

"Well, that's pretty much his style. Not as classy as how I do things, but if it works for you then it'll definitely work for him. I'll be sure to get this number to him and make sure he calls you."

"Great!" She hopped out of her seat and turned to face Nick one last time. "I'll be waiting until then. Thanks again!" Ava offered a wave and scampered off into the crowd, just in time for Ruby to walk up to him with an update.

"Bloody hell, Red. You took forever to get rid of the blokes. What took you so long?"

"Oh, you know me. Taking cash, placing bets, making new connections, the usual fox agenda. Speaking of which, you got the two suits ready?" Nick asked, looking around for the temporary hired help.

"Indeed I did, You can't see them, but they're there. Don't wanna spoke the bloke comin' up." Ruby pointed towards the small crowd. They parted a bit and Nick and Ruby could see the wolf in all his smug glory with a grin to match. Needless to say, both canines were appalled the clothes the moment they were seen.

"What in Capybara's name is he wearing?"

"Cripes, Red." Ruby sharply inhaled as a disgusted expression appeared on her face. "Hopps was right. It's not just bad, it screams all levels of **wrong**."

"Like something that crawled from the rotten abyss." Nick followed up, his lips dipping into an irritated frown as he continued to watch Barkley gawk amongst his group. The longer Nick kept his gaze on the canine, the more his level of disdain increased to the point where he was clenching his teeth behind his muzzle.

"I'll say. That outfit is an affront to fashion."

"his **existence** is an affront to fashion and those who take great pride in looking their best. Namely _me_." There was venom in his tone and Ruby was surprised to hear that kind of animosity from the relaxed fox and gave him a look of surprise, but didn't he didn't care. "whatever, he coming over now, let's put that walking disaster away for good."

"Right, let's him, but how though? You got some sorta plan to pull the dipshit?"

"You leave that to me, you just stand there and prepare yourself to order a lot drinks, I get the feeling that one isn't going to be enough for that mammal." Ruby nodded and stood off to the side and was on standby while Nick took both the card dispenser and discard item and placed them under the table, leaving only the payout chips in the tray. Reaching into his pocket and pulling out his special deck that he had picked up earlier, he took in a series of breaths to relax himself, knowing that getting worked up wouldn't be in his favor. Howard was on his way and Nick had a little performance to put on in order get him over to his table.

'No turning back now, let's get things rolling.'

Starting with the deck that now out of the confines of his pocket, with a simple toss of his paw, the deck went airborne with a series of twirls on the way up and came back down with a solid planting sound when it landed square in the center of his palm. Following the patterns in his head, he made sure to keep his eyes off the target and focused deck, because the cards would pull him in, in his stead. Working the deck around his nimble digits, he was able to pull the cards out without needing to use his other paw, rather, he placed it behind his upright posture, his expression perfectly neutral. With the cards now unsheathed from the box, the real fun could begin.

With the same paw that dislodged the pack, he was also able to toss it behind him so it landed right next to his feet and out of sight, something to worry about later on. Now with deck free and using his free paw, he gripped the cards, splitting them in two and with a seamless amount of motion, Nick used his digits to their maximum capacity by splitting the cards again into another two cuts totalling it to four sets in with which, he rotated them with his wrists while they danced in his paws giving off the impression that he was shuffling them as he worked the digits to move the cards around without dropping a single one. Closing the gap, he was able to merge the four sets back into one while he still used his two paws to shuffle the cards around. Slipping a digit into the cut, he parted it again with a flick of the wrist, he popped the cut deck into the air while it remained intact, flipping over and over until it landed and rejoined with the rest once more. Clapping them tightly, he raised the uppermost one while slacking the grip a bit and a cascaded of cards fell all the way down to the base as he raised it to meet the other, closing the gap once more, bringing the performance to a temporary end. Needless to say that the little act got Howard's attention easily as well as his little group.

Pulling a single card from deck, he worked that single one around of his digits, over and under his flexible digits as if it were gliding on air while his arm and paw acted as the conduit while directing it up and down, back and forth. For style points and with a bit of force, he slung it behind him and the same force he used transferred to the card the moment he released it, causing the playing card to shoot up and over his upper body. It spun like a helicopter blade for it hovered in the air and maneuvered in an arch over him and back down. It was there that used the deck to catch again but in a billowed fan like image and finished on a high note by placing his free paw behind the card and loudly snapped his digits forcing it to slip back into the deck, rejoining the pack.

The sound of clapping could be heard as Nick looked away from his cards and up to see that Howard and his little were applauding his performance.

"Not bad," the clapping slowed as Barkley began to speak and just as Nick expected, his voice was just as bad as his horrid fashion sense. "Not bad at all… for a fox, anyways." That responses earn a small amount of laughter from his group as well as himself. Nick, even though clearly not amused and gritting his teeth, he kept his calm and collected facade on the surface.

["Stay focused, Nick"] Judy's voice came through his earpiece as she to him, using his name rather than the code name. ["he's trying to rattle you and get under your pelt. Don't let him rile you up. You can do this."] her voice and the use of his real name was able sooth him a little bit so he to calm down for the most part and get him back on track. A smirk appeared on his muzzle which caught Howard off guard.

"It's like I say to all my patrons," with the same paw, he effortlessly straightened the pack and with a bit preparation along with the use of his free paw, the deck was slightly split and it cascaded down from being two separate decks back into a collective one. "I AM a fox of many talents."

There was brief moment of silence among them all until Howard broke that silence a snort and a series of chortles followed right after until they turned into full blown laughter. And as expected, the group followed suite, finding Nick's remark humorous at best and they joined in on the laughter alongside Barkley in an attempt to hack down Nick with snide chuckles and cutting remarks under their breaths, using the noise of the casino as a cover, but Nick retained his cool and confident expression while the smirking never fading in the least.

"'A fox of many talents' he says!" He took hold of the cigar and puffed out some smog, aiming it in the direction of where his face was. "Yeah, you're real _talented_ alright. Talented enough to land a position in this sty. Well that's just goes to show how all you foxes are," He took another puff and sat in one of the seats there in front Nick, leaning in with a elbow resting on the board. "Doesn't matter where, so long as the pay is good, you'll do anything to get by, even on paw given scrapes."

["Bastard."] Judy's voice came through again and it was laced with venom for the canine before her partner.

["Calm yourself, Lieutenant. And Sergeant Wilde, he's trying to get a raise out of you. Do not let him succeed."] This time, Xander's voice chimed, in an attempt to keep Nick restrained. He only closed his eyes and cupped his muzzle with mic in the wrist cuff and spoke lowly into it, knowing that Howard wouldn't be able to hear it.

'You both don't need to worry about me, I got this.' He opened his eyes again aimed them towards Howard, his smirk never disappearing again, it caught Barkley off guard for he fail to rattle him. "Money is money, Sir. Sometimes you have to make due with unwelcoming circumstances to put dinner on the table, no matter how much you dislike it. A moral lesson I was taught to abide by, unlike most animals in this city. Sure you yourself had to slog through the muk to get where you are today, no?" Nick questioned the canine, getting a little flinch from him, but quickly bounced back with another egregious resounding laugh.

"That is rich, I tell you. You, a fox, making an honest living? It must be something serious if you ain't skulking about."

"What can I say? I'm a fox with morals."

"Morals?! You hear that? The fox has morals!" The group erupted in laughter at the mere idea of a fox having a sense of right and wrong.

["Just where does he get off?!"] Judy's voice rang through again and was absolutely livid with the target.

["The hubris knows no bounds or humility, Lieutenant."] Xander replied, his tone, although calmed, was traced with annoyance.

"Oh mam, I just got here and already I'm having a good time! Tell ya what, you got me in a good mood. I'll humor you, fox. I'll bet," reaching into his pocket, Barkley pulled out a single bill of $100 And places placed it on the board, his arrogant smirking never leaving his face. "This much, since you started me on a high note. I'm feeling lucky tonight."

"Wonderful, sir," Nick replied with clear malice beneath his tone. He reached for the bill, preparing to convert it with the chips in the tray. "Allow me to deal you in." It was then, that another bill was slammed onto the board, catching both males off guard and voice that familiar only to Nick had spoke out loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I'm in as well. Hope you don't mind a last minute entry." Nick looked over to see a familiar face, that he hadn't seen in a while, suddenly reappear this very night. "Do ya, Foxy."

Duke Weaselton had joined in on the betting.

TBC...

End Notes

Now for some translations that I've added in the chapter.  
For Ruby:  
Dag - Funny person, Nerd, Goof  
Yank - American  
Burl - Try attempt  
sheila - Lady  
Ankle bitter - small child/ Childhood  
earbashing - talking  
Back of Bourke - A very long way away  
Never Never - Outback/ Center of Australia  
Dingo - On the subjects of Dingos, in the Zootopia universe, Dingos ARE wolves, they've evolved to over the course of time to better suits the harsh environments of Aussie. They may be smaller in stature but are very vicious and tough when it comes to fighting off foes.

As for the Snow Leopard:  
Лиса/лисица (pronouced: Lisa) - Fox  
до скорого (pronounced: do skorogo) - Until next time  
Russky - It's a combination of Russia and Husky since Snow Leopards originated in the Mountian of Tibet, which is a part of Asia as well Russia. I know Husky don't exist but it's a play on words instead using the offensive slang: Russkie.

That being said, I hope you all enjoyed the cliffhanger that is Chapter and are looking forward to chapter 5 :)  
Due stay tuned.


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